If I Needed Someone
by NerdyGerl
Summary: An AU look at how Booth and Bones met.  What if there was already a special person in Brennan's life?  How would that certain someone affect the entire Jeffersonian team?
1. I am the Walrus

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: I discovered Bones this summer and between DVDs , iTunes and Hulu, I have seen every episode. I then spend the rest of the hiatus reading fanfic to wait for the premier. This story popped into my head, and must be written. It takes place a few months before the original pilot, hopefully there will be some unsuspected twists. As much as I loved the 100th episode, it has no place in my story. I hope that you enjoy.

If I Needed Someone

Chapter 1: I am the Walrus

July 18, 2005 2:32 PM Hoover Building

Special Agent Seeley Booth was feeling very confident today. He had just finished moving into an office, being promoted out of the cubicles the previous week. He had solved a fairly high profile case in May, and had impressed his superiors with his skills. "My mad skills." Booth thought to himself. When his supervisor had requested a transfer to New York to be with her family, Booth had been offered the job. More field work (which did mean more paperwork), but less assigned grunt work, a little more prestige and little more money were all benefits of the new gig. "Yes, today is going to be a great day," Booth thought to himself as he tossed himself his lucky poker chip while simultaneously relaxing in his new desk chair. It was a crappy chair, but it was his, in his own office, his back could take it. He hoped. Booth's new phone rang; he was being summoned, already. He had been rather surprised when he was told to report to Deputy Director Cullen's office immediately. Booth wasn't sure what he had done to screw up in the half a day that he had been a Special Agent, but he wasn't looking forward to finding out. As Booth made his way out of his office, his only thought was, "So much for my great day."

However, Deputy Director Cullen greeted Booth warmly, extending his hand and offering congratulations on Booth's promotion. After the formalities were completed Booth took a seat across the desk from the Deputy Director and waited for the ball to drop.

"Booth, Saturday morning remains were found in Shenandoah National Park in Virginia. The body is badly decomposed, there are signs of foul play and it was found on federal land, so it's our jurisdiction. I'm assigning you to the case, but there is a catch. You're going to need help on this one so you will have to contact our consultant at the Jeffersonian. Her name is Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Booth groaned. He had heard of her around the water cooler. No one wanted to work with her. She had made a 250 pound agent cry once. At least that was the rumor. She made grown men quake in their boots and she didn't apologize for it.

"Do we really need her? I hear that she is a bit difficult to work with. And I am not really the partnering up kind of guy. I mean I solved the O'Hara case pretty much single-handed. I can do it again."

"Yes, I know that she can be a bit… we'll go with prickly, but I've seen the photos. You are going to want her. And we'll just move on to another agent next time, it always seems to go that way. You're the new guy, you're up. Do you want the case or not?"

"Yes, sir. I'll look over the files and go to the Jeffersonian later today. Thank you for the case." Booth recognized that he had been dismissed, excused himself and headed back to his new office, the case file in hand. He was preoccupied by the materials and didn't notice the two agents outside of Cullen's office.

"How long do you think he'll last with her, a day, a week?" The first agent asked the second.

"The new Golden Boy? Ha, it'll be his luck, she'll fall madly in love with him and she'll never leave him alone." The second agent responded with sarcasm.

"Five bucks he's handing the case off to another agent first thing tomorrow."

"Twenty says they'll be making out in his new office in no time."

"Dude, you are cracked. Come on, let's see if anyone else wants in on the pool. Smith still owes me fifty from when I said that she could make Johnston cry."

"Yeah, I still don't know how you saw that one coming. The guy could have played for the NFL." Both agents chuckled as they went to round up the bets.


	2. Hello Little Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: In which we meet our special character. Enjoy.

Chapter 2: Hello Little Girl

July 18, 2005 4:47 PM Jeffersonian Institution

Booth lightly rapped on the closed door to the office. When he got no answer he tried the handle and as the door was unlocked, he gently opened it and entered. The room was quiet except for some strange humming from the area of the desk. He couldn't place the tune, or even the genre. But, it was the person humming that shocked him. It was a small girl, perhaps ten years old, with dark, curly hair and bright blue eyes. She was staring at the computer screen and listening to headphones, bobbing her head slightly as she hummed along to the music. He made no noise as he watched her, amused by the kid. Suddenly, the head snapped away from the monitor and looked directly at him. No, that wasn't quite right, she looked _through_ him.

"Can I help you with something?" The blue eyes blinked for the first time as he stammered a response.

"I knew Dr. Brennan was young, but umm, I didn't think she was that young."

"Oh, I'm Lucy. If you are looking for my mom, she's in Limbo. But don't tell her that I called it that. She prefers modular skeletal storage."

"Sorry, where can I find Limbo?"

"I can take you down there. You need an access card anyway, and I have one, so that I can always find my mom. Sometimes the time gets away from her and I have to find her so that we can go get dinner or go home. Who are you anyway? I probably shouldn't be talking to a stranger. But since you got this far past security, you must be someone trustworthy, unless the suit is just a clever disguise."

"I'm Booth. Uh, Special Agent Seeley Booth." He sheepishly flashed his badge. If the daughter was that intimidating, everything that he had heard about the mother must be true.

The bundle of curls now turned back to the computer screen, she seemed less than impressed by his identity. It would be lying to say that he wasn't disappointed. Usually the badge got a glimmer of recognition. She clicked the mouse to the computer several times, and never once looking up from the screen, she spoke.

"Uh oh, another FBI guy. Mom hates it when you guys come around. Ever since she got her board certification in forensic anthropology two years ago you guys won't leave her alone. You beg her for help in identifying a body and then you never listen to her and then you find out that she was right and then you catch the bad guy and then you take all the credit and then you send a new agent cause you say that she is too difficult to work with even though she always helps you because she cares about finding answers and helping families and getting the truth. So you better be nice to her and listen to her. Because I am about to get my yellow belt in karate and I will kick your butt if you are mean. I mean if my mom doesn't kick your butt first that is." She finally stood up from the chair and walked toward the door.

"FBI guy, are you coming? I don't have all day."

Booth nodded, plastered on a smile and followed the girl out of the office.


	3. I've Just Seen a Face

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: The moment you have all been waiting for...

Chapter 3: I've Just Seen a Face

July 18, 2005 5:02 PM Jeffersonian Institution Modular Skeletal Storage Unit A

By the time they had reached Limbo, Booth knew that Lucy was nine years old but her birthday was in a week and a half. She had skipped first grade, loved science and math, liked to collect rocks, played the clarinet and wanted to learn either the oboe or the violin or the guitar next. She had been listening to a CD of a didgeridoo performer when she had been interrupted by Booth. She was thinking of running to become class president next year, but her classmates already thought that she was too bossy, so she wasn't sure. She hated yoga, but did it with her mother at the gym once a week. "To help Mom relax" she said. As for Lucy, she had learned that the FBI guy didn't talk much. She paused before swiping her access card to the storage unit. "Sorry, if I was mean before. It's just me and my mom, I gotta protect her. Just don't tell her I said that, she likes to think that she's independent." Booth mumbled an acceptance of the apology. "Ok, this is it. You might want to let me talk first. She might take the news of a new FBI case better if it came from me. And remember be nice or…"

"Or you and your mom will kick my ass."

Lucy stopped, turned and said in her most serious tone, "You just said ass to a nine year old."

Booth rubbed the back of his neck feeling embarrassed, but to his surprise she just giggled and gave a crooked smile. "You know, I wasn't so sure before, but I think that you might actually stand a chance with her."

Without another word she swiped her card and opened the door for him, sweeping her arm in a grand invitation to enter into Limbo. He was already off his game due to his interaction with the fiery Lucy, and now what he saw stopped him in his tracks, a woman who looked like a grown up version of the girl who closed the door behind him. Her dark hair was pulled back and her icy blue eyes were staring at a leg bone. She held that bone in her hands so delicately you would have thought it was the most rare and fragile thing in the world, a priceless artifact that would turn to dust if you breathed too hard. He had heard the other FBI agents say that she was hot, yes, they always joked about it. "She's a looker, but she ain't worth it. Who would want to put up with her? She's crazy." But now, seeing her for the first time, he couldn't help but think that it would be worth it, anything would be worth it to have a woman like her stare at a man like him like she was staring at that bone. To have those eyes on him for even a second, he would gladly pay for a lifetime. Lucy glanced once at the FBI guy, smirked and then called out to her mother. The woman holding the bone looked up and smiled as she made eye contact with her daughter. "Luce, is it 5:30 already? I checked my watch a minute ago, it was quarter after four."

"Well, then you checked it 45 minutes ago, but that's not why I am down here." Lucy pointed a thumb behind her. "The FBI is here. I think that they want your help, _again_." Lucy rolled her eyes, but her mother missed it as she was now focused on the man who was so focused on her. He hadn't moved a muscle since he first saw her. She looked at him pointedly, daring him to say something.

"Yeah, like Squirt said. I'm here about a case. Special Agent Seeley Booth, at your service."

"Don't call her Squirt."

"It's just a nickname. She's a little squint, seems like a squirt to me. Besides Pistol doesn't seem all that appropriate for a nine year old."

"I don't know what that means, but if I wanted to name her Squirt, I would have called her Squirt."

Lucy spoke up now. "Yeah, she named me Lucy after _Australopithecus afarensis, _the famous fossil. You know the hominid, you know a prehistoric human?"

"Uhh, so she named you after a monkey?"

"I did not name my daughter after a monkey." Brennan said with exasperation, a tone that Booth feared he would hear from her a lot over the next few weeks, if he lasted that long, that is.

Sensing the tension, Lucy stepped in, "Right, it wasn't a monkey, but you can call me Squirt if you want to."

"No, he can't Lucy."

"Why not? I don't mind a nickname. Besides, he isn't going to be here long."

"Well, that is true."

"Hey," Booth interjected, sounding offended. Both Brennans quieted and stared right through him again. He cleared his throat. "Dr. Brennan, perhaps we can change the subject. I am here to," he eyed Lucy quickly, "_respectfully_ request your help, and the help of the Jeffersonian to identify the remains of a person left buried near a trail in the Shenandoah National Park. The skull is in pieces and it is missing all of its teeth. In the interest of full disclosure, we may also be missing a limb or two."

"Agent Booth, please refrain from talking about active cases in front of my daughter. She is a little young and under qualified for such information."

"Oh, right. Sorry, Squirt." He grinned at the girl and she grinned back. Her mother did not.

"Very well, I'll help you, Agent Booth. Have the remains sent over tonight. I want them here so that I can start first thing in the morning. I will also require all soil samples and other evidence collected sent to be analyzed by our experts. If you want to send over the case files, you can have them sent to my apartment and I will read them over tonight. I will give you my address. I am sure that you can find a courier. Now if you will excuse us, it is time for Lucy and I to go home and have dinner. I will be ready to give you my preliminary findings at one o'clock tomorrow. You may meet me by the platform in the main lab. Let's go home Lucy." Brennan swept by him without so much as a backwards glance. Lucy skipped behind.

Booth continued to stand there like an idiot for another moment when Lucy turned and said, "You know, that actually went rather well, I think that she likes you." Lucy winked and Booth began to follow these two incredible, intimidating women out of the room.

Thinking desperately that he needed to get the last word in, he called after Lucy, "You must think that you are pretty smart, for a monkey." Lucy stuck out her tongue and a harsh voice called from up ahead,

"For the last time, I did not name her after a monkey. And don't call her Squirt." Booth and Lucy just smiled at each other.

Brennan walked quickly back to her office, keeping ahead of her two companions. She wanted to punch something any time that the FBI came around. They were so rude, and cocky, and this agent wouldn't be any different. She sighed to herself. For some reason, Lucy liked him. He wasn't unfortunate looking, like Agent Mason had been, but why should she care what he looked like? He had waltzed into her life and would waltz right back out in a week or two. Irrationally, Brennan felt a pang of something at the thought of him leaving. She brushed it aside as annoyance that there would be yet another agent after Booth because the murders would never stop, and she could never stop fighting for and discovering the truth. She marched into her office, pulled a business card out of a desk drawer and neatly wrote her home address on the back. She now waited for the agent and her daughter to arrive. She tapped a foot impatiently until she saw them through the glass walls of her office. Agent Booth was making a goofy face, and Lucy was throwing one right back. Lucy was laughing and Agent Booth was grinning. Brennan softened a little bit watching the two. Lucy was much more gregarious and much, much less awkward than Brennan, but still she seldom warmed so quickly to relative strangers. Maybe, just maybe, working with Booth wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen to the Jeffersonian. She would have to gather more evidence during this case in order to reach a valid conclusion. She picked up the business card and exited her office.

"Agent Booth, here is my address. I expect originals of all X-rays. No copies. If you will please excuse me, I need to speak to my assistant before I leave for the evening. Lucy, please gather your things. I will see you tomorrow, Agent Booth. One o'clock. Please be prompt, my time is very valuable." Brennan walked to the platform and swiped her card. Booth could not hear the conversation that she was now having with the gawky assistant, but at one point the kid glared at the agent.

"I better get ready to go home, but it was nice to meet you FBI guy. "

"You too, Squirt. Will you be around tomorrow?"

"Not in the afternoon. I am going to my friend Madison's horse show. She invited me ages ago. If I play my cards right I may get to ride one later in the day. Besides I am not allowed on the platform when there is an open case, so I can't rescue you from my mom anyway."

"You really think that I am going to need you to rescue me from your mother?"

"Well, if you are nice my Aunt Angela will stick up for you. Hodgins might, too, if he is in a good mood. Sometimes he has to snap this rubber band on his wrist in order to stay calm. So back off of him if he starts rubbing his arm. Umm, let's see, what else? Zack is never going to like anybody, so don't even try. He is very logical, just like my mom, but, if you respect that he'll leave you alone. Ok, Mom's just about done, I really gotta go. Bye FBI guy. Good luck tomorrow."

"Thanks, Squirt. I think I need it."

"Probably."

Booth thought a "Definitely" was the appropriate response, but she had already bounced into the office and started to pack a small bag with various items. Not wanted to get in trouble for loitering, he made his way towards the exit, pausing only once to peek back to the platform where the doctor still stood giving instructions to the assistant. What was he going to do about her? His only conclusion was that he had to put forth an effort in order to restore her faith in the FBI. He couldn't place a finger on why exactly he wanted her approval; he just knew the effort would be worth it. Call it a gut instinct.

His gut must have been malfunctioning though, because he had just turned back around to return to the Hoover when she glanced his way, watching him exit and staring at the empty space that he had left behind for a few seconds longer than was strictly necessary.


	4. Honey Pie

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Thank you to my reviewers, especially SouthunLady. You make me excited to keep writing. I think Angela has a lot to do with Lucy's personality. I have a whole backstory in my mind that hopefully I will be revealed eventually. Enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 4: Honey Pie

July 18 8:15 PM The Brennans' Apartment

Lucy and Brennan had prepared, eaten, and cleaned up their dinner of veggie burgers and baked sweet potato fries. While Lucy had bathed, Brennan had sent a quick e-mail to Hodgins warning him that he may be needed to examine particulates from a crime scene. She also chatted briefly with Angela, knowing that she would be needed for a facial reconstruction after the skull was glued back together. Angela had been helping with an exhibit on ancient Greece and had not seen the agent. Angela wanted a full description of the new guy, and when Brennan mentioned in her own awkward way that he was good looking, Angela couldn't contain her squeal. Brennan, however, was not in the mood for girl talk, and calmly but sternly assured Angela that there would be no personal interactions between the agent and the doctor. When Angela couldn't get the disappointed tone out her voice, Brennan made the excuse that Lucy was calling her and abruptly hung up the phone. Brennan swore under her breath that this case would be the last she ever worked for the FBI if things didn't change. She could very happily focus on the bodies in the basement, tell their stories and give them closure. Let the FBI deal with their own cases. Lucy interrupted her thoughts by actually calling for her, and Brennan made her way into the girl's bedroom. Every evening that Brennan was in town, the girls would read together for half an hour any book of Lucy's choosing. Lucy had picked out a book by Jane Goodall the last time that they were at the library, and the pair was currently half way through it. Brennan was reading aloud tonight, the voice was soothing to Lucy and she snuggled into her mother on the full bed. Just as Brennan was getting invested in the story, there was a knock on the door. Brennan sighed and handed the book to Lucy.

"That will be the courier with that case file. I'll be back in a moment, Luce."

"Sure, Mom. No problem."

Brennan walked quickly to the front door. She peeked through the peephole and instead of a pimple- faced kid in a cyclist outfit, there was Special Agent Seeley Booth. As she opened the door she noticed he was not only holding a case file, but there was a white box in his left hand as well.

"Hello, Dr. Brennan. I have the case file for you. Sorry I am here so late, I had to track down some original X-rays for you, but to make it up to you, I brought you and Lucy some apple pie. Best in the District!"

"I don't like pie."

"Everyone likes pie, Dr. Brennan."

"Well, I don't. I don't like my fruit cooked."

A cheery voice jumped in next. "But I love pie! Thanks, FBI guy. Pumpkin is my favorite, or maybe berry pie, but apple isn't all that bad. Mom, can I have my piece, please? I know I already brushed my teeth, but I can do it again before bed, and I didn't have any other dessert tonight. Pretty please?"

"Well, Squirt, it is up to your mom." Booth set the case files on a nearby table and waved the box in front of Brennan, making puppy dog eyes that matched her daughter's expression. Brennan knew when she was beat.

"Very well, but under one condition. Lucy may have the pie if you stop calling her Squirt."

Booth stopped waving the box and tried to keep a sad look on his face as he turned to Lucy. "Sorry, Squirt. I guess no pie for you. I like the nickname. It stays, the pie goes."

"Mo-om." Lucy begged her mother to reconsider. This FBI guy was being really nice, just like he had promised, and besides she liked the nickname. It made her feel special. Her mother could be so strange sometimes. Aunt Angela had once told her that her mom had had a rough childhood and sometimes those hurts got in the way and that was why she acted weird. Brennan never talked about her childhood with Lucy, perhaps she studied the past of others so that she could forget her own, that was Lucy's theory anyway. Lucy almost never pushed her mother, but she thought it was time to press just a little bit.

"Mom, you aren't being very nice. Agent Booth came over to bring you the case files, just the way that you wanted them, and he brought dessert. He didn't know that you didn't like pie." She turned to Booth, "Just so you know, she likes sorbet. Passion fruit is her favorite, but we both like mango."

Brennan shifted her gaze between the two conspirators. She really was beat this time. "You are right, Lucy. I apologize, Agent Booth. It was very thoughtful of you to bring the pie. I will get you a plate, Luce. Agent Booth, would you care for a piece?"

"Uh, yeah, sure. Thank you, Dr. Brennan. You know, you can feel free to just call me Booth."

"Alright… Booth," she said slowly, testing the informality as she spoke. "You may continue to call me Dr. Brennan." Before he could comment, Brennan had headed to the kitchen for plates and forks. She also grabbed some vanilla ice cream that had been left over from a sleepover that Lucy had had the previous week. She decided that a little ice cream would taste good and went back to the cabinets and drawers to grab a bowl and a spoon.

While Brennan gathered plates, Booth and Lucy had struck up a conversation. Lucy felt a little pity for the guy. He was nice, and as Aunt Angela would say, he was "Hott with two T's." And her mom was treating him like crap, but he was taking it in stride. She couldn't help it; she was rooting for this one.

"Don't worry too much about my mom. She really will warm up to you. I hope. I'll lean on her a bit. I can be very persuasive, you know."

"I'm beginning to get that."

"Maybe you could give her a nickname of her very own?" Lucy had suggested, a bit sarcastically.

"Yeah, I'm sure that would work," Booth responded upping the ante on the sarcasm.

Brennan returned from the kitchen juggling the ice cream and the dishes. Booth whispered to Lucy, "Do you think that she would respond well to Grumpy?" as he went to help Brennan with the armful and cut up the pie. Lucy just giggled until her apple pie a la mode was set in front of her at the table. Lucy and Booth proceeded to talk about her summer and random things. Booth kept his conversation flowing with Lucy, but his eyes rarely left Brennan's face. She had kept her head down and was focusing on the ice cream in her bowl almost as hard as she had been focusing on that leg bone earlier in the day. Lucy tactfully left her mother out of the conversation as she could tell that her mother wasn't really up for conversation. Lucy was not offended that the agent was staring at her mother and was rather halfheartedly talking to Lucy. She really was excited that the agent seemed to be interested in her mother, despite her mother's oddities. Could he actually like her? A small hope began to grow in her chest that this agent could make her mother happy. It would be nice for her mom to have someone. Perhaps she would have to ask Aunt Angela about it. Her mother hated Angela's meddling, but Lucy was almost looking forward to it. The second Aunt Angela saw the FBI guy and her mother together; she was going to know that there was something there. Lucy was now regretting that she was going to Madison's horse show. Lucy was going to be missing the real show, the one that would take place on the forensic platform the next day.

Booth wasn't sure how Lucy did it. She was obviously as preoccupied as he was, but she still managed a halfway decent conversation, and he couldn't help feeling drawn to the two brunettes. He also felt silly at the thought that if the daughter liked him maybe he could get the mother to at least tolerate him. Eventually, the table grew silent as all three contemplated their respective thoughts. The silence was comfortable to all but Brennan, who excused herself in order to put away the leftovers and rinse the dirty dishes. Back in the safe solitude of the kitchen, she was free to envy Booth's easy manner and how close he seemed to be with her daughter after just a few minutes of conversation. Why was it so easy for some people to connect to others and why was it so difficult for her? She and Lucy loved each other unconditionally, and Angela was like a sister to her, but no one else could manage to break her hard shell. Why couldn't she just soften up, like Angela was always telling her to do?

Booth interrupted her musings by bringing in the last of the dishes. He was in very good spirits as he set the dishes in the sink. "Lucy went to her bedroom. She said she would be waiting for you to finish your bedtime reading. She told me that she wanted to give us, and I quote, 'a few minutes of privacy.' Then she winked at me." He chuckled at his own comment and the confused look on the doctor's face.

"I don't know what that means, but it is past her bedtime, so I should probably go finish our chapter before it gets too much later. Thank you for the dessert." She paused. She really should make an effort with Booth. They had to clear the case if nothing else. "I'm sorry if I was uncivil earlier. I am not used to trusting strangers or the imbeciles from the FBI." She caught him eying her suspiciously. She realized that she was probably not apologizing very well. "Well, I don't think that you are an imbecile."

"Well, thanks"

"Don't thank me yet. I simply do not have enough data in order to draw any valid conclusions about your intelligence."

"Dr. Brennan, did you just make a joke?"

"No, I don't think so." She said that with such sincerity that he had to grin. She was something alright.

"Well, you should go read to your daughter. She's waiting for you." He began to walk towards the door and Brennan followed him unsure of what else to do. "She is an amazing kid you know. She's crazy smart, incredibly charming, and she's pretty gorgeous, too. Those blue eyes can really pierce your soul."

"Thank you Agent... sorry, Booth. I am very proud of her."

Booth opened the door. "You should be proud, she's just like you." Finally getting the last word, Booth closed the door, flipping his lucky poker chip as he whistled down the hall.

Brennan puzzled over what he could mean by that comment as she made her way to Lucy's room. And though she read to Lucy for twenty minutes and despite the fact that she was intelligent and was able to compartmentalize better that anyone else that she knew, she couldn't remember a word she read. For the first time in a long, long time, she was distracted. She nearly forgot to kiss Lucy good night, but by the time that she was two pages into the case file that Booth had left her, she had managed to push the feelings of confusion to the side and focus on the case. The sooner she could solve the case, the sooner this agent would be out of her life, and she could go back to her old ways. And for the first time in an equally long time, she wondered if the old ways were really the best ways.


	5. Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: And we get into our case. I hope you find it interesting. Coming up with a murder is hard. I'd appreciate any feedback. Your reviews have made me feel awesome. So thanks for that and all of the story alerts, and now on with the show.

Chapter 5: Everybody's Got Something to Hide except Me and My Monkey

July 19, 2005 12:57 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth paced nervously near the platform. He had arrived fifteen minutes prior, and then unsure as to whether being early was as bad as being late he had wandered around the facility for a few moments. He carefully avoided the Medico-Legal Lab and had run into a Dr. Goodman in a fancy lobby with an equally fancy sculpture. It took Booth a second, but was able to put together that this man was Dr. Brennan's boss and while she had no use for Booth, it was quite clear that the doctor in front of him was very willing to aid in FBI investigations. He waxed on about the accomplishments of the Jeffersonian in general, of Dr. Brennan specifically and made it quite clear to the agent that he would do anything in his power to keep the FBI happy.

Booth excused himself to make it to the lab on time thinking that one person who was actually employed by the Jeffersonian actually wanted him there. The thought gave him little comfort, as he had a feeling that Lucy had more sway over Brennan than Dr. Goodman could ever hope to have. And Dear God, he wanted Brennan to sway his way. In a strictly professional matter of course, the case had to take priority over any other thoughts. Booth entered the lab, trying to compartmentalize and focus on the case at hand. He was genuinely interested to see Brennan work. There had to be a reason that the FBI begged for her assistance. Booth waited for Brennan to exit her office, and as he glimpsed her for the first time that day, all thoughts of compartmentalization fleeted away. He couldn't help but hope that at some point the woman in the blue lab coat might actually want him around.

Booth continued to pace for three minutes. Angela had exited her office and took a few moments to observe the nervous FBI agent. She noticed that while he was pacing and observing the area around him, every few seconds he turned to look at Brennan through her glass door. At one point it looked like he was trying to make eye contact, or get her attention in some way, but Brennan never looked up from her desk. Angela couldn't help but sigh. Some things never changed. At exactly one o'clock, the beautiful scientist gathered up some materials on her desk, exited her office and made her way toward the platform. Like a flash Booth was by the entrance to her office, and Angela couldn't help but chuckle as she made her way to the platform. Angela mused that Booth was like a puppy whose owner had a treat.

Booth flashed a grin at the scientist, "Good afternoon, Dr. Brennan."

Brennan did not return the smile. Now was the time for work, not socialization. "Hello, Booth. I am glad to see that you were able to arrive on schedule. If you will follow me onto the platform my team and I will go over our preliminary findings."

Booth followed the no-nonsense doctor onto the platform. Lying on a cold steel table was the skeletal remains of his newest case. There were still bits of flesh attached to the skeleton and at the top of the table were skull pieces that were not yet assembled and he was pretty sure that he was staring at brain matter. Feeling slightly squeamish at the sight, he attempted to make eye contact with Brennan and start the meeting, but she was already putting on gloves and gently touching what was left of what he thought was a femur, but wasn't entirely sure. As Booth attempted to quench the feelings of nausea, he was slowly surrounded by other team mates. There was the gawky assistant from yesterday, a short man with curly hair, and a woman dressed in a flowing skirt with flowing hair who gazed at him with an amused smirk. As Brennan clearly wasn't going to make introductions, Booth decided now was the time to speak.

"Hi, Special Agent Seeley Booth," Booth didn't flash his badge; he knew that it would not impress this crowd. "You must be Angela." He flashed a grin at the woman, who appeared slightly shocked to be recognized by name. "And you must be Zack," Booth extended a hand to Zack who made no attempt to shake it. Sensing the uneasiness, the last member of the party extended his own hand. Noting the thick rubber band on the right wrist, Booth hazarded a guess. "Hodgins? Did I get that right?"

Hodgins seemed to be the only one who had recovered from the shock of an FBI agent on the platform.

"Nice investigative skills. You been spying on us? Get a file from the other agents? Cause believe me, they only got it half right, if that."

"Uh no, actually, Lucy mentioned all of you last night."

Angela had now found her voice, "You met Lucy? Bren, you didn't mention that on the phone last night." Angela had already received a call from Lucy in the morning, and knew perfectly well that Booth had brought over dessert and case files, and that he was different from the other agents, and she wasn't sure, but she thought that he might like her mom. Angela scrutinized the agent, yes, he was interested. Angela was always looking for someone for Bren and if Lucy already approved, she was going to push as hard as she could.

Brennan spoke for the first time on the platform, "It was not pertinent to the investigation." Yes, Angela was going to push, just not right at this moment. It was case time, and there was no point, the only thing that would matter to Bren was the body in front of her, the dead one.

"Now that the introductions have been made let us focus on the case. The victim is male, late thirties to early forties. He was between 172 and 181 centimeters tall, with a medium build."

"Wait, how tall is that in American?"

"Between 5'8" and 5'11". Enhanced muscle attachment points show that he possessed great strength at some point in his life, although it looks like his condition has deteriorated over the years. Also evident from the cursory examination is that he had suffered many injuries that experienced full remodeling. It is likely that he was in a severe accident in his late teens or early twenties that damaged four ribs and several bones in his right arm. The skull tissue will need to be debrided in order for assembly as there are no teeth in order to match dental records. Also missing is the lower half of the right leg. The leg was amputated just below the hip by what appears to be a saw, peri-mortem. No right leg fragments were recovered by the FBI team, although the area was swept thoroughly."

Zack interjected now, "As thoroughly as the FBI sweeps."

Hodgins grunted in agreement. Hodgins and Angela turned to Booth to see if he was going to defend the FBI. Instead the agent was glancing at the fingers of the body as he processed the information that Brennan was providing, trying to translate what was relevant and ignoring the rest.

"Is it just me or is something wrong with the hands? I mean aside from the fact that they were found in the basement of the Cryptkeeper."

"I don't know what that means, but a good observation, Booth. Hodgins, would you explain the anomaly of the phalanges?"

"Sure, Dr. B. Each of the hands was doused with an accelerant and burned. I found traces of gasoline additives; I postulate that the killer was attempting to destroy the fingerprints to prevent easy identification."

"Someone really hated this guy. Why not just torch the whole body if you are going to burn part of it?" Booth commented. He attempted to reach out and touch the remains with the edge of a pen that he was using to take some notes. Brennan reached over the table and quickly slapped his hand away.

"Please do not touch the remains. And as for the motive behind the murder, we do not conjecture, we only collect data and establish facts."

"Sorry. So how long has he been dead?"

Hodgins once again answered, "Approximately three months. Insect activity suggests that the body was dumped in the woods around the beginning of May. I am screening for particulates as to where the man was killed, as it was not in the park."

"You can actually tell that?" Hodgins grinned and Booth looked impressed.

Booth continued, "OK, so do you have any sort of identity? I am waiting on a DNA test, but the lab is pretty backed up right now and I got some call this morning that there was contamination in the sample that is going to take some time to sort out. Is there anything you can tell me about him that could get me identity?"

Bones looked up from the remains, "I already told you that he was a man of average height and weight who suffered a severe injury approximately 15 to 20 years ago. He also should have been reported missing approximately three months ago."

Angela contributed now, "I'd also assume that because the killer worked so hard to hide his identity that he may be someone of importance, most people would just dump a body and run, wouldn't they?"

A sudden realization hit Booth. His nausea returned stronger than when he had first seen the remains. He took a few steps to a nearby railing and took a few steadying breaths. "Oh God, it can't be," Booth said aloud. He returned to the group and answered their quizzical stares.

"Is it possible that this guy was Joseph Wells?"

Hodgins immediately jumped in. "Congressman Joseph Wells? Future Governor Material Joseph Wells?"

Angela continued the thought, "American hero Joseph Wells?"

Brennan spoke up next, "Booth, what is your reasoning behind this hypothesis?"

Booth looked at the destroyed body on the table. "OK, whoever killed this guy wanted to obliterate his identity. They yanked out his teeth and burned off his fingers, wouldn't you want to hide the identity of a Congressman?. Wells disappeared at the end of April after a charity event. Wells served in the first Gulf War, he was badly injured overseas. Saved six men. Opponents say that's what got him elected, not any real talent. And,"

Hodgins interrupted. "That explains the leg too. Wells had a prosthetic right foot. It couldn't be salvaged after his injury. But he had shrapnel and pins, maybe even a rod, embedded in his bones throughout the remaining leg tissue. Anyone who did an X-ray would instantly recognize the Congressman. They couldn't just pull off the fake leg; they had to remove any evidence that could have been used to identify him. Oh I like it; it's got to be the congressman."

Brennan looked thoughtfully at the group. "Angela, while Booth waits for the DNA to be straightened out, I will work on the skull. Can you put a face on the skull when I am done? Try to prove it was Wells? Booth can you also get me the Congressman's medical records? I may also be able to use those to get a positive identification."

Booth nodded, "So what was cause of death, it was murder right? I mean, looking at the guy, I'm guessing he didn't pass out and fall into a bonfire and a chain saw simultaneously?"

"Most definitely murder," Hodgins enthused. "I found gun powder residue on the skull. Well, what's left of it."

Brennan continued, "Until I am able to fully clean and assemble the skull I will be unable to tell you more about the weapon, as no bullet was recovered. Someone hit the skull after death, possibly with a hammer. There are relatively few fractures, but it will take some time to definitively prove cause of death."

"Well, while you guys work on the body, I am going to track down some leads. Anyone know who wants to kill a Congressman?"

"Dude, who doesn't?" Hodgins gave his flippant response.

"Well I should probably start by contacting Congressman Wells."

Zack spoke up. "But you postulated that this is Congressman Wells. He is currently unable to speak to you."

"This is Joseph Wells. I am going to look up Congressman Steven Wells, his twin brother who was elected a district over in 2004, accused of riding his brother's coattails and who was going to keep on riding them all the way to the White House."

"I can already smell the conspiracy." Hodgins snapped his rubber band lightly against his wrist.


	6. Come Together

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement and nice compliments. I have the next few chapters written, and Lucy won't appear for a little bit. It seems like most of you love her, so just warning you that the next couple chapters are pretty case heavy, but it all serves a larger purpose. As always, comments are appreciated. Enjoy.

Chapter 6: Come Together

July 19, 2005 1:28 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth gave the team a thankful nod and left the platform he was almost to the exit when he heard a voice call to him. He turned around to see Brennan giving chase.

"Booth, if you are going to chase down any leads, I want to come with you." He looked at her incredulously. No other agent ever took her into the field, had they? Had she asked other agents and been refused before, or was this the first time that she was attempting to be involved in more than the lab work? It didn't really matter, there was no way Cullen would ever let a squint out into the field, especially if they were dealing with a dead Congressman. For all Booth knew, the CIA had bugged the platform and this whole matter would "disappear" before his very eyes. She was staring at him hard, daring him to answer. Why did she have to look at him that way? He had to regain the upper hand here and use some Booth charm to diffuse the situation. Only he wasn't feeling very charming at the moment.

"No way, Bones. This is too big."

"Bones? What is that supposed to mean?"

"You study bones. It's a nickname. I'm testing it out. Squirt thought you would appreciate it."

Brennan's voice began to rise. "Don't call me Bones. And don't try to distract me with this nickname business. I want to help with the case. The FBI always makes me stay here. I can be very useful in the field. I've traveled the world extensively identifying victims of genocide; I've collected ancient evidence as well as bodies. I am the best in the world at what I do. I can help. I want to help."

Booth heard Lucy's voice in his head telling him to be nice, but this woman was making it impossible. His tone mirrored Brennan's and his voice was fairly harsh as he spoke. "I appreciate that, but there is no way that my bosses are going to let you go interview Congressmen and Senators, you are a squint and you belong in the lab."

Brennan made zero effort to control the volume of her voice. "What the hell is a squint? Do you ever just speak English? Do not tell me where I belong!" She glared at him for a moment and continued her tirade. "If you won't let me help outside of the lab, I am afraid that I will no longer be able to offer help inside of the lab. I am sure that your bosses will not be happy to lose such an important asset over a simple interview request."

Booth briefly wondered what had happened to the woman who wouldn't even meet his eye last night and had sat so quietly swirling ice cream in a bowl and that thought made him even angrier. "No, I am sure they will be thrilled if I let you tag along."

"Wait, you just said that your bosses won't like if I am out in the field and then you tell me they will be thrilled. Which is it?"

"Sarcasm, Dr. Brennan. I was using sarcasm." Realizing that their yelling was attracting the attention of all the others in the lab, he took a calming breath and modulated his tone. "I'll talk to Cullen. If he says yes, I will take you with me tomorrow when I conduct interviews. And even if he says yes, I will let you in the field if and only if, you can give me a positive ID. I am not going to confront Congressmen on less than a sure thing. I'd like to keep _my_ job."

Brennan was placated, but her tone was still cool, bordering on icy when she responded to Booth. "That sounds like an acceptable compromise. The lab will contact you when we have a positive ID. I expect to be notified of a time and place to meet you for our interview."

Frustrated, Booth realized that he needed to leave before he grabbed the doctor and either began to shake her or kiss her. What was this woman doing to him? How on earth did she win this argument? God, Cullen was going to kill him, or worse fire him. He needed to get out of here, he was going crazy and less than 24 hours after he was first given the case, the water cooler gossips were right. Trying to regain at least an outward appearance of dignity, he gave Brennan his most charming smile. "Sure, Bones. I'll let you know." He abruptly turned around and exited the lab, hearing her get the last word.

"And don't call me Bones."

Meanwhile on the platform, Zack had already turned back to the bones, working on preparing the skull for reassembly, but Hodgins and Angela had watched the doctor and the agent have their brief argument. Hodgins glanced at his watch. "Damn, Javier in Security wins the pool. Dr. B. and agent of the week are fighting by the forensic platform by 1:32. He was only six minutes off and he guessed the location correctly, how does he do that?" Hodgins looked disappointed. He never won these pools, the money meant nothing to him, but the bragging rights sure did.

Angela merely sighed, just once it would be nice if Brennan could just relax and give the FBI a chance without making ultimatums and threats. If they were dealing with a dead Congressman, this case was going to be the big, bigger than most of the team had ever dealt with. A final thought crossed Angela's mind before she returned to her office, that it was possible that the sparks that Booth and Brennan were flinging at each other would catch fire, and the result just might bring the entire lab and the FBI down in flames.


	7. Every Little Thing

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Here is my next chapter. I've been having some computer issue (fun times). So that is why I am a little delayed in posting. A few of you have asked about Parker, and I already have a chapter about him written, however it's still a long way from being posted in my time-line. Hopefully, you can be patient and I can interest you enough in the other stuff to keep reading. Once again, thanks to all of my reviewers and those who have alerted my story. You guys are great!

Every Little Thing

July 19, 2005 2:07 PM The Hoover Building

Booth stormed into the bull pen outside of his office. He found three agents standing at the water cooler and he found himself more annoyed by this fact than usual. He knew, just knew that they were gossiping about him. Did they already know that he had called from the car to request a meeting with Cullen? Who was going to collect when Cullen threw his ass out on the street? All three agents carefully avoided making eye contact with him. He worked for the FBI, how clueless did they think he was?

"Charlie, Stu, Mac, I need information. I want all of the files on Congressman Wells."

Agent Ryan Stuart looked at him with questions written all over his face. "Which one? There are three Wells currently serving. I assume you mean the one who is missing, or his suspect of a twin brother, and not the 64 year old Republican from Idaho."

Charlie Burns spoke up now, "Uh, there is a 64 year old Wells in Idaho? How do you know that?"

"I am an informed voter. I can also name the senators from Alaska and recommend an excellent dry cleaning service to any Cabinet member. Wanna test me?"

Booth practically snarled. He was not in the mood for this joking. For Pete's sake he was probably dealing with the body of a dead Congressman. "I need everything that we can get our hands on: medical records, every memo, any files we can get from any other agency. I want receipts from lunch orders from meetings about this case. Every little detail. I expect reports in thirty minutes, pull any strings, call in all favors. Go."

Agent Mackenzie Davis jumped first, she'd always had a bit of a crush on him and she had heard rumors that he was no longer dating that blonde lawyer, Jess Something-or-Other; maybe this might be a chance to impress him. Charlie was a little more cautious. He was putting two and two together. "Does this have anything to do with the case at the Jeffersonian?" All agents froze and eyed each other.

Booth spoke first, "Just keep it under your hat for now. I am working on a hunch. Come on what are we standing here for? Move." Booth glanced at his watch and groaned. He had to meet Cullen in ten minutes. In fifteen minutes he may no longer have a job. What was he going to say to Cullen, "Sorry, boss, but she is beautiful and intelligent and crazy and I can't say no to her?" Honesty _was_ the best policy.

Booth made his way to Cullen's office giving the rumor mill plenty of fodder. He rubbed the back of his neck, sighed excessively, barked at a technician who dared to bump into him outside of an elevator, and nearly punched a wall outside of Cullen's office. No wonder agents didn't last with the Jeffersonian, he was giving himself an ulcer. Cullen's secretary made Booth wait for several minutes before he was ushered in. She carefully avoided eye contact with him, she knew his reputation with firearms and she valued her life. She fleetingly thought that it was a good thing that she was only six months from retirement; she wasn't sure how much longer she could have lasted in this place.

Cullen did not look pleased to see Booth in his office. Booth at least had the grace to look contrite at the interruption and let Cullen speak first. "Do I need to find another agent?"

"No, no, sir. It's just that," Booth swore. "Sorry, I'm just going to come out with it. Dr. Brennan wants to come out into the field. She wants to come with me on interviews."

"You have an identity already, and leads?" Cullen sounded slightly impressed; it had been less than a day since the case was handed over to the Jeffersonian.

"Sir, we don't have a positive ID yet, but we think that we found Wells."

"Congressman Wells?" Cullen whistled. "Well, easy solution then, it won't be her case anymore; it won't even be _your_ case anymore. If it is Wells, there are going to take the case away from you. We have a hundred agents and a dozen agencies looking for this guy. So just tell her it's no longer going to be her problem, so she won't need to go into the field. Issue resolved. Have a nice day."

Booth would not be dismissed so easily. "Well, sir, you said that we couldn't solve this case without her. I am going to be on this case just as long as you need her. And in order to keep her, I have to take her out in the field. Do not take me off of this case. Uh, please?" Booth tried a little of his charm. It seemed that even Cullen was not immune to its sway.

"Do you actually want her in the field?"

"I have no idea." Cullen grunted. The Jeffersonian Institute was a pain in the neck, and a necessary pain in the neck at that. Booth continued, "Sir, she will be my responsibility."

"She better be. You keep an eye on her, she screws up or gets hurt and it is your ass on the line. So think very carefully where you want to take her. Are we clear?"

"Crystal. Thank you, sir." Cullen sighed, and turned his back to the agent, waving him away. Booth stood to exit, as he was walking out of the door, Cullen got the last word.

"And for God's sake, whatever you do, do not let her have a gun."

* * *

An hour later, Booth was on the phone with medical records at a D.C. hospital. He had already been in contact with Walter Reed Medical trying to get access to original X-rays and images and was now tracking down all records taken when Wells was a civilian. He knew copies would be unacceptable for Brennan. The woman on the phone was being very uncooperative, talking about confidentiality, and protocol. Booth was tired of not getting his way. He needed these records.

"Seriously, these records are needed for an open case between the FBI and the Jeffersonian. Have you ever heard of a Dr. Temperance Brennan? Because, you are going to have to deal with her if you do not give me access to these records." The voice on the other end of the line was quiet for a moment and then responded.

"Where can we send the records, sir? We will have a courier available in twenty minutes."

Booth couldn't believe that had worked, but what he didn't know was that Brennan had been at that hospital eight months earlier when Lucy had fractured an arm in karate. Legend of the fiery woman had spread throughout the hospital, it really was best to do what the woman said. Booth didn't question the reasoning behind his winning this argument; he simply gave the address for the FBI, graciously thanked the harried worker and hung up. He had a lot more phone calls to make and a lot of files to go through.

When a congressman goes missing for three months there are bound to be a lot of files. The FBI had interviewed the wife, the brother, every available relative. There was also every aide, every intern, every Representative that had ever shook hands with the guy in the Capitol Building. There were repeat interviews with every one of these people as well, and interviews with _their_ aides and interns. Booth briefly thought about handing the files back to other agents and just moving to Maui. That would make his life easier. But Special Agent Seeley Booth was not a quitter. He sent his agents to look over the less relevant files, keeping family members and key political opponents for himself. His gut told him that one of these people would be the guilty party. As he shuffled papers and tried to make sense of the dozens of files, the medical records began to arrive.

He continued to look through files until he felt that it was time for a break. Just why Booth thought that a trip to the Jeffersonian could be considered a break was an idea he didn't have time to ponder.


	8. We Can Work It Out

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement and nice compliments. An update for you. I am out of town this weekend, going to a Big Ten game, On Wisconsin! I won't be able to update for a bit, but this chapter was written and ready to go, so here you are. A little bit of a filler chapter, but I think its a decent one. A final thank you to all of my reviewers, I love to read the comments. Now, enjoy.

Chapter 8: We Can Work It Out

July 19, 2005 6:03 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Angela was working on a computer program when her cell rang. "Angela." A cheery voice answered back.

"Hi, Aunt Angela, Mom wasn't picking up her phone."

"Yeah, she's with a skull." That was all of the explanation that Lucy needed.

"Is it OK to have dinner with Madison and her family?"

"I think so. Your mom is going to be another few hours. I can pick you up and bring you back here when you are done. Hopefully by that time the skull will be ready for a reconstruction."

"How are things going with the FBI guy?" Angela sighed and Lucy did not miss it.

"That well, huh? Who won the bet?"

"Javier."

"Again?"

"Yeah." Angela was interrupted by the blaring of alarms from the forensics lab. She looked out her office window to see a horrified Booth holding files and an annoyed Brennan holding a portion of skull in one hand. Brennan swiped her card with the cleaner of her hands, quieting the alarms. Angela heard Lucy calling for her in the distance.

"Sorry, sweetie. FBI guy just arrived."

"OK go. Take notes. I'll call you when I am ready to be picked up. Thanks, Aunt Angela."

"No problem, sweetie." Angela hung up her phone, placed her phone in her coat pocket and scurried to the side of the platform.  
Angela rushed out of her office. She overheard the end of Booth's apology. She also overheard Booth asking for an access card of his very own. Brennan just glared. The next thing Angela saw was Brennan peeling off her gloves and taking some of the files from Booth. X-rays were soon attached to a lighted backboard and Brennan was scrutinizing them. Booth scrutinized Brennan scrutinizing the X-rays. He had no idea what she was looking at, but apparently she was satisfied with the images. After a few more minutes of looking over the X-rays she returned to the body donning a fresh pair of gloves. She summoned Booth with a flick of her eyes and he followed her to the table.

"Do you see the marks here on the right ribs, numbers four through seven? These are consistent with recent images taken of Wells. Also, look at the hamate, lunate and triquetral. These injuries are also consistent. The skull is nearly finished and Angela and DNA can confirm, but I believe that this is a statistical match to Congressman Wells."

Booth exhaled sharply, it was one thing to guess, it was another to have proof. He forced a smile. "Well, if you've got an ID, I've got files." Booth pointed to a stack of files left on a counter. "I thought maybe we could go over some of them, decide a plan of attack for our interviews."

"Our?"

"Yeah, Cullen said you could go out in the field. Now, you are my responsibility…"

Brennan interrupted, "I can take care of myself."

"No offense, I just mean…" He trailed off, he didn't know what he meant. No use making her angry.

Brennan let the comment go and turned back to her skull. "Go ahead, please summarize the relevant files, while I finish my work." Booth looked at the newly assembled partial skull. Brennan was carefully tweezing away at a remaining section. She did it carefully, but as casually as if she was making a salad. He was once again unnerved by her concentration. Realizing that he wouldn't be welcome to just stare at her for an hour, Booth grabbed some files and found a chair and a clean scrap of countertop near her.

"Ok, nobody is this perfect."

"What do you mean Booth? He was far from perfect, as you can see by the many injuries…"

"Not at all what I meant, Bones."

She sighed at the sound of the nickname. What was with this man and nicknames? "Please elaborate."

"Wells married his high school sweetheart, Sharon. Their 16th anniversary just passed. From all accounts they were happily married. He enlisted after two years of college even though he probably could have been an officer. Then finished college and law school with highest honors. And he won in a landslide in 2002 and was re-elected in 2004 by an even higher majority. He's also now independently wealthy from commercial property that he inherited from his parents. He turned one building in his district into a low income housing unit that also offers job placement, job training and daycare services. He even has a charity called 'Wishing Wells.'" Booth snorted at the name. "I mean can any person be that good, that self-righteous?"

"Actually, he was a very humble man."

"How do you know that?"

"I met him at a Jeffersonian fundraiser about a year ago; his niece was very interested in some of the archaeology exhibits."

"Yes, Skylar, only daughter of Steven and Linda Wells. Born in 1996."

"She is about the same age as Lucy… oh no."

"What, what's wrong?"

"Lucy. What time is it? I was supposed to pick her up. Where is my phone?"

She peeled off her gloves, flung them in the trash and frisked her pockets looking for her cell, growing slightly distressed at not finding it.  
Angela who had been fiddling at a nearby computer station attempting to eavesdrop finally took her cue.

"Sweetie, Lucy called me when she couldn't get a hold of you. She's still with Madison and her parents. I am going to pick her up after dinner."

"Angela, Lucy is my daughter."

"Hun, I know. I'm just trying to help. I need you to finish that skull so we can get that reconstruction which I am sure Agent Studly wants ASAP."  
Booth chose to ignore the "studly" comment. "Yeah, that would be nice."

Brennan hissed, "Be quiet."

"Just an innocent bystander, no need to yell at me."

Brennan huffed one last time. "Ange, I'm sorry. It's just hard with work and making sure that..."

"No need to explain. Why don't you two order some take-out and go over the rest of your files. I'm going to grab something for myself and get Lucy and bring her back here. Agent Booth,"

"Just Booth is fine."

"Right, Booth, will you make sure she eats something? She missed lunch today. Again."

Booth glanced at his watch, "You went all day without eating?"

"I just forget sometimes."

"You don't strike me as someone who forgets anything."

"It's just not always a priority. And I don't need anyone to monitor my daily caloric intake. My body mass index is well within normal parameters."

"It's not a priority for you to eat? Is it also not a priority for you to breathe? Do I need to get certified in CPR while I work here?"

"You aren't certified in CPR? I would think that as a government employee…"

Angela interrupted their banter. "OK, OK, enough. I'll be back with our mascot in a little while. Bren, I expect that skull to be done, and you to be fed by the time I get back."

"Angela, if we are going to order food, why don't you just join us, you don't need to make a separate trip."

"Wouldn't dream of it, Sweetie. Besides, I need to stretch my legs if I am going to pull an all-nighter anyway. See you in a bit. Bye Studly." And Angela waltzed off of the platform. She wanted to give Brennan and the FBI guy as much time as possible. She knew Zack and Hodgins were probably still floating around the place, and she was already formulating a text message to send to tell them to stay away from the platform unless they wanted the Wrath of Montenegro to descend upon them. Maybe after picking up Lucy they would stop for ice cream. She hoped Lucy hadn't had dessert with her friend, if so, they could always find a way to stall. Lucy would want to stay away for just as long as Angela thought that they could get away with it.

The two left on the platform watched Angela float away. They turned to each other simultaneously and their eyes met. Booth spoke first, "what do you think about Thai food?"

"That sounds acceptable." They both smiled as Booth began to dial a familiar number.


	9. A Hard Day's Night

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones and never will, but I am obsessed!

Author's note: Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay in updating. Its been a busy week: work, school, travel. My sister and brother are both home this weekend, so I won't be around much. I have the next couple chapters written, but I was trying to have a little bit of a back-stock in case I get busy or writers block, so we'll see. Anyway, my heart was breaking for Bones tonight, when she and Hannah both said, "You're welcome." Poor thing. And I am not a prude, but I really feel no desire to see Hannah and Booth in bed. Not cool. Here's a little fluff to cheer us up. You know what else cheers me up? Reviews :-)

Chapter 9: A Hard Day's Night

July 19, 2005 8:27 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Angela and Lucy arrived back in the lab stuffed with banana split. The platform was empty but they could hear raised voices coming from Brennan's office. Angela made a cheerful comment, but Lucy wasn't paying attention. She was scowling in the direction of the office.

Angela spoke to her. "Luce, what's wrong?"

"I told him to be nice. He promised to be nice."

Angela smiled knowingly, "Uh, Sweetie, try and listen to what they are actually saying. Go ahead. Get a little closer, they won't even notice you."

Lucy crept closer to the office. Her mother's desk was littered with white containers and the two adults were standing near it, facing each other. Brennan had a fork sticking in Booth's face.

"You did not tell me to save you any of the mee krob. You left the room."

"I went to the bathroom! I never said that I was done eating."

"Well, I am not a brain reader."

Booth was momentarily confused, and then it hit him. "A mind reader, you are not a mind reader."

"Exactly, you should have been more explicit."

"Ok, Bones, you win. Put the fork down. Next time we will just order extra."

She put the fork down and smirked.

"What makes you think there will be a next time?"

Booth failed at keeping his grin under control, but was saved from responding by the office door opening. Lucy and Angela stepped through.

"Mom! Hi." Lucy said with enthusiasm as she went to hug her mother. She studied the agent for a moment and decided that she had forgiven him for his raised voice.

"Hello, FBI guy. How are you this evening?"

"I'm good, Squirt. How was the horse show?"

"Really cool. I got to observe a lot. And I got to ride Ginger. She's Madison's pony. Don't worry, Mom, I wore a helmet, and Madison's dad held the tether the entire time." Brennan accepted that protocol had been followed and began to clean up her desk. She switched gears as she acknowledged Angela.

"Ange, tissue markers are placed. Please be careful with the parietal bones and the left zygomatic arch as I have not finished my analysis of the bone trauma there yet. The skull is on the platform, when you are ready."

"No problem. I'll have an image for you by the morning briefing. Ten AM. Night everyone."

Angela left the office, entirely too happy for someone who was going to spend the rest of the evening with a skull and a computer. Booth and Brennan had no way of knowing that the excitement was personal and in no way professional, but Booth could not miss the energy. "She looks so normal, but she's totally a squint."

Lucy looked up at him. "You've said squint before. What does that mean?"

"Squints, the lab people, they squint at things."

"Don't you think that it is kind of offensive, name calling and all?"

"I never thought of it that way before. Did I offend you, Dr. Brennan?" Brennan was sorting through papers and was barely paying attention to the conversation.

"No, why would I be offended by your judgment of other people?" She said in an off-hand way, never glancing up from the files.

Lucy and Booth smiled at each other. There was a slightly awkward pause as Booth tried to figure out where the conversation had before Thai food and squints.

"Bones, it's getting late. I'm sure that you want to get home." Brennan glanced at a nearby clock. She appeared to be debating.

"We have a few more files that I would like to go over before tomorrow, but it is late."

Lucy piped in. "Mom, you and FBI guy can finish up. I've got my iPod. Oh, and a new book. Aunt Angela and I ran into a bookstore earlier. So I'll just crank up my Tibetan throat singers and I'll wait till you're done." Booth mouthed "Tibetan throat singers?" at Brennan, but she did not understand his expression, and just buried her nose in her files again.

"Squirt, I am going to burn you a CD. No more of this diddly-doo and throat singers. You need to 'Get the Led Out.'"

"Eh, Led Zeppelin is OK, I guess."

"Phew, you at least know who Zeppelin is. I was worried for a second there."

"Aunt Angela's Dad is in the music business, so she's introduced me to some classic rock. She tells me she needs to keep me in Pop Culture, as Mom is a lost cause." Brennan was still engrossed in the files from earlier and Booth and Lucy smiled at each other again.

"Alright, Squirt, give us a few minutes to finish up."

Lucy put in her ear buds and rummaged through her backpack finding her new book. She settled into the couch and looked oblivious to all around her. Booth turned away from Lucy and got Brennan's attention.

"Should we go back on the platform or something? We probably shouldn't be talking about this stuff in front of her."

"I do not think that she would be listening, but you are probably correct. Let's go outside." Lucy smiled to herself as they walked out of Brennan's office as Booth's hand had found its way to the small of Brennan's back and led her into the lab.

They settled on the platform near the body. Booth began to read aloud from some files, trying to outline a plan of attack and who was a priority to question. Brennan nodded and agreed in places but admonished him when he delved too far into guesswork over motives.

"You are just guessing, we do not have all of the facts in. It is useless to conjecture at this point."

"Yeah, yeah, Bones. Let's just finish up here."

They spent another forty minutes going over files before they decided to call it quits. Booth followed Brennan into her office in order to say good bye to Lucy. The girl was asleep on the couch, her book lying open on the floor next to her and a muted tone coming out of the headphones that had slipped out of her ears. He held a finger up to his lips, warning Brennan to stay quiet as he went to the sleeping girl. He shut down the iPod and picked up the book while Brennan gathered her own supplies. Booth handed Brennan the backpack and moved to pick up the sleeping Lucy.

"Booth, just wake her up. There is no need to strain your back carrying her."

"Don't worry about it. She's light. She had a long day. Let's get you ladies home, because tomorrow's a big day for you, you know. You get to go out into the field." He spoke quietly so as not to wake the girl in his arms, but he was acting slightly giddy as well. Brennan's face had brightened at the mention of the world "field" and Booth did not miss the look.

"So where's your car?" Booth nodded his head in the direction of the exit and Brennan began to leave. Booth followed Brennan out of the office.

Angela was able to glance out of the glass windows at exactly the right time. Her eyes had needed a break from the computer screen and she had glanced out of her office and noticed Booth carrying Lucy. It was a sweet picture, but it passed by her field of view too quickly. She took this as a positive sign, however and turned back to her image.

"Alright, Wells, let's give you a face."

Lucy had woken slightly at the jostling that she was undergoing as Booth carried her. She felt warm in his strong arms, but she was also confused. She had fallen asleep? Why didn't they just wake her up? She idly wondered if this is what a Dad did, caring like that. She had never known her father, and her mother very rarely talked about him. She felt guilty at being happy in Booth's arms. Her mother was amazing; she was the best, why couldn't her mother just be enough? Why did she wish so badly to have a father of her very own sometimes? She couldn't rationalize these thoughts, so she decided to just let them go. Booth shifted her weight and she snuggled into him a little bit deeper. She decided to just enjoy the strength and warmth, however brief. She made a mental note to talk to Aunt Angela later. Aunt Angela would be able to explain these confusing feelings to her, help her to understand.

Brennan, for her part stayed carefully ahead of Booth. She did not turn and look back at him. She didn't want to see her daughter in someone else's arms. She especially did not want to see her daughter in the arms of a strong, good-looking and kind man like Booth. She didn't know why. She sighed once, but softly so that Booth woudn't notice. God, she hated psychology. Lost in her own thoughts, the silence became overwhelming and she had to break it.

"You are very good with her, Booth."

"I am a man of many talents."

"Thank you." She wasn't sure what exactly she was thanking him for, but he seemed to understand the sentiment.

"You're welcome." Booth said sincerely and they glanced at each other. Booth's eyes gazed down at Lucy and he held her a little more securely. Brennan's throat felt tight, and she had to look away again.

They had reached her car and she unlocked it remotely. She opened a side door and Booth gently placed Lucy inside. He buckled the seat-belt around Lucy. He heard a whispered, "Night, FBI guy." He also felt the brush of lips against his cheek. He couldn't help grinning.

Booth stood out of the car and he met Brennan's gaze. He thought that he saw wistfulness on her face, but it disappeared quickly.

"Good night, Booth. Please, let me know where I can meet you for our interviews tomorrow."

"Well, I thought I'd stop by. Pick you up. Besides, Angela said that there was a briefing at 10, I'd like to be there."

"It's not necessary. We are still analyzing data; we will have little to report."

"But I'd like to be there. Besides, we have quite a bit of driving to do. We can car pool, save gas. I'm sure the environment is very important to you."

She had a sleeping child in the car and it had been a long day. She let him win this one. Why did it always seem like he was the one who was winning? "Fine, fine. Be here tomorrow at 10 AM. Please be on…"

He placed a finger on her lips. "Don't finish that sentence, Bones." He left the finger and both Booth and Brennan felt a jolt at the continued contact.

Realizing that his finger was lingering, he pulled it away quickly. There was another moment of awkward eye contact and he was the first to turn away.

"See you in the morning. Say good night to Squirt for me."

He slowly flipped his poker chip as he made his way to his car. What on earth was tomorrow going to bring? He was both terrified and intrigued by the scenes that popped into his brain.


	10. Good Morning Good Morning

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. Time for an update. Sorry if I have kept you waiting too long, it's been a busy time. A little bit of Booth and the Squints, and a little more case. Lucy disappears again for a few chapters, just a warning. Enjoy.

Chapter 10: Good Morning Good Morning

July 20, 9:58 AM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth arrived on time laden with beverages and donuts. He saw no one on the lab platform and Brennan was not in her office. He poked around a bit and found the Brain Trust in another room, standing in front of some strange contraption. With his arms full he was able to shift his treats and knock softly. Angela let him in with a smile on her face.

"Well, hello there Agent Studly."

"Good morning, Angela. Hi everyone, I brought some mid-morning snacks."

Jack made a move for the box of donuts and promptly picked out a nut-covered one and bit into it.

"Thanks, man. I guess the file got something half right. These are my favorites." Booth waved away the thank you and began to pass out the drinks, but not before having to suppress a smile at Hodgins' peanut-covered beard.

"Angela, I knew you had a long night, so I got you a double espresso. Hope that's OK."

"Sounds great. Thank you, that is so sweet." She flirted lightly and touched his arm. She was only human after all, and it was harmless on her part, a little jealousy never hurt anyone. Angela and Booth both missed the identical alarmed looks that appeared on Brennan and Hodgins' faces.

"Here ya go, Bones. Coffee for you. Took a stab at it anyway. I hear that you are particular." She eyed it warily, but took the warm cup, sipped, smiled softly and sipped again. It was a very good cup of coffee, exactly how she would have ordered it. How on earth did he do that?

Booth had noticed her reaction to the coffee and although she said nothing he felt that he had been amply rewarded for his hassle.

"Zack, I hear that you don't drink coffee, so I brought you a hot chocolate. Extra whipped cream."

Zack looked surprised to be included, but took the drink in his hand. Zack stared at it awkwardly, and after an urging from Hodgins took a taste. It was quite satisfactory.

Booth handed Hodgins a tea wordlessly, but subtly nudged a finger on his own chin, trying to warn Hodgins that he still had crumbs attached to his face. Hodgins wiped at his beard and Booth nodded accordingly as he took the last cup of strong coffee for himself.

"So where's Squirt today?"

Brennan answered, "Oh she's with Eleanor." And Brennan moved towards the strange contraption.

"Uh, who's Eleanor, nanny?"

Hodgins and Angela laughed. Angela clarified.

"Only the oldest tour guide at the Jeffersonian. She knows everything, and Lucy finds her fascinating."

Hodgins continued, "She's an institution herself. I'm pretty sure that she knew Jefferson personally."

Brennan spoke up now, "Hodgins that would be impossible, she is in no way..."

Booth interrupted, "Yeah, Bones, we got it. So Squirt actually wants to spend all day in a museum?"

"Yes, Eleanor calls Lucy her Junior Assistant. Lucy is very proud of the title. She helps give tours. Now, I believe an appropriate amount of time has passed for socialization, may we please continue with our briefing."

"Uh, sure. Let's get at it, Bones."

Brennan bit back calling out the nickname. She just wanted to get down to business, but Angela had definitely noticed the use of the nickname and she recalled hearing it the other day. She thought it was adorable. Angela was still thinking about what a cute couple her best friend and the FBI agent would make when the group gathered around the Angelator.

Booth stared at it, "So, uh, what is this thing? Medieval torture device?"

Angela popped out of her reverie and launched into an explanation of her prototype. Booth recognized the phrase "patent pending" and that was about it. She grabbed her pad and booted up the imaging system.

"So, I have a face. Because dentals were missing, the jaw is a little off, but I think it matches pretty well with Wells."

Booth looked at the image on the screen. He was amazed, it was the Congressman being projected in a three dimensional image. He reached out a free hand and touched it. His hand dug into the cheek. He wiggled his fingers slightly.

"Cool. And weird."

Brennan snatched his hand away from the image.

Angela continued speaking for a few minutes comparing a photographic image that she had scanned and confirming the match for the more clinical members of the group.  
Zack was next in the briefing and used a lot of big words (or so Booth thought, no one else seemed to mind) to catalogue several of the bone injuries on Wells. He had a few more details on the saw that had been used to cut of Wells' leg. Zack had also compared the ages of the many bone wounds. Many injuries were from childhood and adolescence, still more from his stint in the Army. Brennan had focused on the skull and continued after Zack. The cause of death was a bullet to the back of the head. She was describing it in much more scientific terms and Booth had to ask her to translate several times. She grew frustrated with him, and he grew frustrated with her.

"So Bones, where is the bullet, you didn't mention an exit wound, and nobody found one."

"The angle of the entry supports that the bullet traveled through the soft palate and exited the body. The angle here is nearly vertical. It is likely that the victim was kneeling, or sitting on the floor when he was shot. Angela, can you work on some scenarios for us?"

"Sure thing, I'll work on it this afternoon."

Booth paused to take a few notes. He flipped through some ones from yesterday. "So, anything more about the possible hammer?"

"Yes, there were two strikes to the face, post mortem. It was a common household hammer, two strikes to the skull, one on the left zygomatic arch and the other to the orbital region."

"To disfigure him?"

"Possible, Booth."

Brennan made a few more comments about the skull damage, but Booth mostly tuned them out. His eyes were glazing over when Hodgins' turn finally came around.  
I've got particulates, and some interesting fibers, and organic evidence. What do you want first?"

"Organic evidence, I guess." Booth responded. Hodgins went on.

"OK, we have at least three different hair samples that do not belong to our victim. I've sent them in for DNA analysis. It will take a couple days, I can't do it myself. On the scraps of clothing, definitely a tuxedo, high quality by what's left of it, I've got traces of motor oil, gasoline and fluids commonly found in cars. My prediction, the guy was killed in a garage. I'm trying to narrow it down more, see if I can get a more exact location."

Hodgins went on to describe a long list of other evidence found on the clothing. Once again, Booth began to lose focus and took to fidgeting a bit in order to wake himself up. He tuned in again when Hodgins' voice took on even more excited tone than usual.

"So I found wood and fungus embedded in the femur of the victim. It's been pretty degraded, so once again, I'm going to need some time to identify the fungus, but I think it's our best bet to getting a location for our murder."

"How?"

"Someone hacked down a diseased tree, and then hacked off this guys' leg. There is a lot of research on plant pathology around here, I may be able to get something special when I get an identification on the fungus."

"Sure, you do that. Keep me updated." Booth couldn't believe that anyone would care about diseased plants. Anyone could kill a plant, right?

"No problem, man." Hodgins looked positively tickled that the agent seemed to appreciate his efforts.

The briefing ended shortly after, Brennan giving out assignments for what needed to be done while she was in the field. Booth grew impatient with her instructions as they never ended and he only actually understood a quarter of what she said. Eventually, she seemed to quiet and looked at Booth expectantly.

"Ready to go, Bones? We're burning daylight here, and we've got a bit of a drive."

Brennan nodded and started to walk towards the door, and then remembered one more thing she had to tell Angela and moved away from the door. Booth waited again as she began to leave and then turned back to address just one last thing to Zack, this time. Finally, Booth had had enough. He moved towards her, placed his hand firmly on the small on her back and guided her out the door. Booth ignored the scientist's protests at being led out of her own laboratory.

Zack trailed them, oblivious, as usual, but Angela and Hodgins looked at each other. Hodgins asked Angela, "How does he still have a hand?"

Angela just shrugged and turned back to her computer screen, a smile tugging at her lips. Hodgins gazed at her for a moment and then sighed, grabbed the last remaining donut and left a trail of peanut crumbs all the way to the platform.


	11. She Said She Said

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends! Hope you all had a nice weekend. Not much to say about this chapter, just that its pretty case heavy. And Bones has a lot to learn about how to act in an interview.

Chapter 11: She Said She Said

July 20, 2005 11:33 AM Congressman Wells House

"Alright here we are, Bones." Booth parked his SUV in the driveway. He gave a low whistle. The house was fairly small but immaculate. There was a white picket fence framing a green lawn, flower boxes in the open windows, which winked at him as lacy curtains fluttered in the breeze. There was even a jaunty sculpture of a rooster mounted on the roof giving the direction of the wind. "Typical." Booth mused. Seriously what was with this guy? Even his house was perfect.

The two exited the car and made their way up the cobbled stone walkway. Booth sighed as he rang the doorbell, it was never easy to tell someone that a loved one was never coming home.

A petite woman with short blond hair answered the door. "Can I help you?"

"Mrs. Wells? I'm Special Agent Seeley Booth and this is Dr. Temperance Brennan of the Jeffersonian Institution. We have some news about your husband."

The woman nodded curtly, resigned to bad news. It was all she got these days. She led the group into a cozy living room that was decorated with pictures of the inhabitants of the house as well as many including a small red headed girl who must have been the niece. Booth surreptitiously glanced around for the ubiquitous photos of politicians shaking hands and grinning toothily or giving each other the thumbs up, but there were none. Just family and friends, and every image looked perfect. Booth was forced to suppress his socioeconomic rage and took his place next to Brennan on a love-seat across from Mrs. Wells.

Brennan spoke first, eager at being out in the field. "We have found your husband's body."

"Bones!"

"What?"

Booth looked at her, widening his eyes trying to signal her that she was being inappropriate. She just looked back at him with confusion on her face. She was clueless. He groaned at the imminent disaster.

"Bones, use a little more tact, please."

He went to address the widow, explaining away his partner's bluntness and offering words of comfort to the woman who was beginning to shed tears. Brennan had wanted to cut him off at his dismissal of her skills bit she was stopped by the look of grief on the blond woman's face. Booth continued to offer soothing and mostly meaningless words and Brennan was amazed that they had an effect on the widow as she wiped her eyes and met the gazes of the two investigators.

"I've told you people everything. The police, the FBI, people who wouldn't even tell me what agency they were from, just tell me that you know who did this."

Booth shook his head sadly. "We will find who did this to your husband. I promise you that. I'm sorry to ask you to go through this one more time, but you never know what new information might come out. And stacks of papers, to be honest they don't tell you as much as hearing it from the original source."

"What do you want to know?"

Brennan stepped in, and promptly put her foot in her mouth again. "Were you or your husband having an affair?"

Booth suddenly felt like he was sitting much too close to Brennan on the love-seat. In fact he felt like if he was instantly transported to Jupiter; he would still be too close to her. He was going to end up being tortured in Gitmo once someone in the government found out that he had vouched for her in the field.  
He gave Mrs. Wells his Boothiest smile and apologized once more.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Wells. Bones, can I speak to you for a moment."

It wasn't a question, and Bones was not given time to respond because he had whisked her away before she could say anything else. He pulled her into the dining room, an open space that was mostly out of earshot of the victim's wife.

He briefly made eye contact with her and saw fire. He quickly looked away. She spoke in a hushed but harsh whisper, "Never touch me like that again."

"I'm sorry, but you can't just go asking a grieving widow if she was having an affair, you need to ease into these kinds of things."

"I was just asking questions that she's already been asked."

"But there is a proper way to go about it. We aren't going to get anything out of her if she just throws us out of her house. Look, we are on shaky ground with this case. There are a hundred agents out there who want to solve this case and receive accolades from the White House, and promotions, and book deals." Brennan stared at him in disbelief, she really didn't think that he was the type of person to care about book deals. Then again, she was a terrible judge of character.

"Is that what you want?"

"I just want to find justice for him and his family. There's nothing in it for me other than helping him and everything that he stood for." Booth sighed and scratched his head. Brennan looked doubtful.

Booth tried a different tactic.

"OK, you are really smart, right?"

"I am a genius." She said it without guile and he squinted at her before moving on.

"Anyway, I'm sure that at some point you had to study, you had to observe. You know before you could do it perfectly. So lets just go back in there and you can study me this time, and over time, once you have learned a little bit, you can ask some questions. Is that going to work?"

"I accept your logic that I am not trained in the skills of interrogation. I will defer to your expertise and acquiesce to your request."

"Did you just agree with me, or not? I can't really tell."

"As Lucy would say, you win. Is that more clear for you?"

"Crystal." Booth extended her arm inviting her back to the living room where Mrs. Wells sat, mildly interested in knowing what these two people were talking about. They certainly had energy, if nothing else.

Booth once again apologized and thanked Mrs. Wells for her continued cooperation as the questioning continued. Booth eased back into the interview by asking about her relationship with Joseph.

"Joe and I have been dating since I was fourteen years old. He was two years older, but even though we were both very young something just clicked, you know? I knew he was the one, and we have been together ever since." Brennan looked skeptical at the idea of someone having a "one."

Booth prodded Sharon, "And you were happy?"

"Yes, we were. I wasn't so happy when he went off to fight in that goddamn war, but I was so relieved to have him back, despite his injuries. We never took each other for granted. We always vowed to make each day count. I told the other agents this before, but I suppose, everything comes out eventually, might as well be open about it."

Sharon sighed, "The only problems that we ever had was with my infertility. We both wanted children badly, but it never happened for us. We went to counseling for awhile and it helped. We were still looking into surrogacy and adoption, when Joe disappeared. Joe was worried that if we chose surrogacy that his constituency would be outraged that we didn't take in a child that already needed a home, not go against nature to have one of our own. And then he worried that adoption would make him look like he was pandering. That he would pick out a child to help his career, not just to share his home and his life. I was so proud of Joe for going into politics and doing so well, but it was hard that every decision was made between the three of us. Me, Joe, and his career."

Booth interjected, "Yes, it must have been difficult for both of you. I think we all know what it is like to be married to a job.

Brennan would have countered, but Booth sent her a warning glance. And then she realized that it was the truth. She didn't believe in marriage, but she was deeply committed to her job. She sank back a little more into the couch. Booth was right, again. She realized that for a brief moment she had drifted away from the interview and had to struggle to catch up. Sharon's eyes had turned red again, and Brennan reached for a nearby tissue and handed it with a soft smile to Sharon. Booth couldn't help feeling proud. Maybe there was hope for Bones yet.

Sharon's eyes continued to mist, "I just can't believe that he is really gone."

A small voice interrupted the interview. "Uncle Joe is dead?" All heads snapped around to the hallway.

"Skylar, what are you doing here?" She reached out a hand to the girl who ran to the older woman and climbed into her lap.

"Saul dropped me off. Daddy was stuck in meetings and Mom went to the spa yesterday."

Brennan couldn't keep silent any longer.

"She still isn't back?"

Sharon was the one who responded, "Linda's spa is in Palm Springs. She goes there when she needs to de-stress. She's been there four times since Joe disappeared, it's been a pretty awful time. Skylar, sweetie, I need to finish talking to these nice people. Why don't you go up to your room and play. Later today we'll go to the park and if you want you can spend the night." Skylar nodded her approval of the plan, said a polite goodbye to the two strangers and went up the stairs. Booth waited until he heard the click of a door and moved on.

"Mrs. Wells, could you tell me if your husband has any enemies, anyone who might have had a motive to hurt him?"

"He was a politician, Agent Booth, but he always tried to get along with people from the other side of the table. His most controversial bill got defeated a few weeks before he disappeared. He was disappointed, it was good legislature, it would have helped a lot of people, but that's the way it goes sometimes. But even locally, he didn't really have enemies. In 2002, Joe defeated Samuel Waterson, and Joe ended up endorsing him later, and he was appointed a state judge. He and his wife have actually become very good friends, they may be from opposite parties, but they had the same ethical code. Joe appreciated that. Sam and Evie, they bring me a casserole every week. And I don't think Dominic is really a threat."

"Why is that?"

"He's in hospice. Pancreatic cancer, diagnosed just after he lost in '04. He and Joe never got along, personally or professionally, but Joe was making an effort to let bygones be bygones. The only other person who was ever really a political rival was Hanson Miller. He lost in a primary to Joe and then ran independently and lost again, two years later. Took it hard from what I gather, but he seems to have given up on the political scene. Focusing on his business endeavors. Joe liked him, but I didn't really trust him. He was always so smarmy, Joe just said it was ambition. Joe was... Joe was..." she was unable to finish the sentence, she choked into her sleeve. Booth soothed her once again.

"I just have a few more questions, and we'll get out of your hair. What can you tell me about your brother-in-law?"

"Steve and Joe were twins. They both ended up in law school and then politics, but they were so different. Joe was the golden boy, and Steve was always in his shadow. Joe would end up as MVP and Steve would end up in detention. Steve screwed up a little bit in high school, he and Saul got into some trouble, and it was Joe that always bailed them out..."

"Saul, the same Saul that dropped off Skylar?"

"Yes, the three of them went way back. Saul and Steve did stupid teen things, nothing dangerous really, just class clowns, mostly. Until their senior year. That's when Saul got Rachel Finnegan pregnant, it was a huge scandal. He and Steve got arrested for trespassing when Saul tried to see her after her parents forbid him from coming over. Somehow, it was Joe that calmed them down and got them to drop the charges, still not sure how he did that. He was a teenage boy, and he got them to listen to him. Diplomacy was his specialty. Maybe that's why we never fought, he was always too good at calming me down. I couldn't stay mad at him." She gave a watery smile.

Booth exchanged a glance with Brennan, this information was new. She acknowledged the data, but had no idea what its implications could be. Booth asked a few more questions and expressed his sympathy one final time, giving Sharon his information and promising to keep her updated. He then excused the two investigators and led Brennan out to the car.

They were in the SUV on their way to talk to Steven Wells in order to convey their bad news and to question him. They used the drive to go over the previous interview.

"Do you think she could have done it, Booth? She seemed sincere in her grief."

"Nah, she's five foot nothing and she used to be an elementary school teacher. Doesn't seem the type to saw off legs and burn hands."

"I concur. I noticed that you were very interested in the driver, Saul. Why is that?"

"He obviously owes the Wells family a lot. And now they are rich and powerful and he's their chauffeur. Might build some resentment, don't you think?"

"I'm not sure that I accept your logic, but I am interested to see what other information that you can discern from coming interviews." She was glancing at files, but he noticed a little sparkle in her eye. Despite their earlier feud, things were going well.

"If I didn't know better, I'd think that you were having fun."

"This is fun."

He gaped at her.

"Booth, watch the road, your drifting into the other lane."

He closed his mouth, corrected the car and drove towards Steven Wells.


	12. Come and Get It

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends! I've decided on twice a week updates. Sundays and Wednesdays. And look, it's Wednesday! Just a little filler chapter to break up some of the case. Enjoy!

Chapter 12: Come and Get It

July 20, 2005 1:37 PM Booth's SUV

Brennan was looking through files while Booth drove towards Senator Steven Wells, when all of a sudden her papers flew everywhere in the SUV. Booth had slammed on his brakes and swerved into a parking lot.

"Booth, what are you doing? Look at this mess."

Booth looked sheepish for a moment, and then grinned. "Sorry, Bones. But, I'm hungry and this place is awesome. Let's grab a bite."

Brennan looked doubtfully at the place. The neon sign in the window was only half lit and two smokers loitered outside, one of them clearly a waitress, the other a cook.

Booth parked and exited the SUV, gave a friendly hello to the waitress, who seemed to recognize him and held open Brennan's door and made a grand gesture to invite her out of the car. She finished gathering the loose files in a huff and exited the car. The duo then made their way towards the diner and two of its employees.

"Georgie, Leslie! Long time, no see." Booth moved to introduce them to Brennan, but she had stuck out her hand and said to the waitress, "Hello, Leslie. I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan."

Booth couldn't restrain his laughter. "Bones, that's Georgie, short for Georgianna. The gentleman to your left, that's Leslie."

Leslie started speaking now, "Hey, watch your mouth, Mister. Who you calling a gentleman? What brings you to our neck of the woods?"

"Official government business, as usual. You ready to fire up the grill? I'm starved."

The workers ground out their cigarettes and led the way into the restaurant. Booth guided a still doubtful looking Brennan into the establishment. They were seated quickly in the nearly empty restaurant and Brennan was given a menu. Booth claimed that he didn't need one.

"Booth, how do you know these people?" Brennan had asked in a stage whisper, trying and failing for subtlety.

"I've worked a couple cases around here. Nothing major, but it's a nice place to stop when I am in the area. Everyone's friendly."

"Yes, I can see that the relative poverty of the area could lead to an increase in violence and criminal activity."

Booth grimaced, "Watch it, Bones. These are good people."

"I was merely making an anthropological observation."

"OK, OK. Just figure out what you want to eat. The ribs here are amazing."

"I don't really eat much meat. And ribs are especially unhealthy. You really should pay better attention to your diet."

Booth affected a playful tone, his voice raising an octave, "Oh honey, you do care." Brennan stared at him, not sure what to make of the use of the word "honey" or the way in which he said it. Georgie arrived at just that moment to take orders and deliver water, and by the time she had left Booth seemed to have forgotten what they were talking about before Georgie had come by.

"So Bones. Tell me about yourself."

"Why?" She looked at him with skepticism.

"Um, because that is what people do. They tell each other about themselves. Share a little bit, you know, over coffee, or lunch, or whatever." He trailed off, as Brennan was looking at him with a combination of horror and embarrassment on her face. He couldn't be sure in the dim light of the restaurant, but she might even be blushing.

"Agent Booth, are you trying to make this a date? It is entirely inappropriate for several reasons. First..."

Now, it was Booth's turn to look at her with horror and embarrassment, with a hint of blush on his features. He stammered. "Whoa, Bones. Not a date, this is definitely not a date. What makes you think... you know what, nevermind. I don't wanna know. Umm, I'm going to run to the restroom." Attempting a more joking tone, he tried to smile and said, "Do not eat my food if it comes while I'm gone."

Without waiting for a reply, he bolted out of his seat and practically ran to the bathroom. A very confused Brennan was left in her seat, sipping water and trying to figure out where the flaw in her logic had been, and why after her initial embarrassment, she felt disappointment over the fact that this lunch was not a date.

Booth had entered the empty bathroom and splashed some cold water on his face. Too late he realized that there were no paper towels, just a broken hand dryer. He grabbed some toilet paper and wiped at his dripping face. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. Part of him wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the situation, and part of him wanted to cry. He took a few more calming breaths. He tried to clear his mind, but in the back of it, creeping forward, there was the image of what it would be like to take her out on a real date. He saw her in a blue dress that brought out her eyes, he was out of a suit, but still looking debonair. He imagined a candlelit dinner and a good bottle of wine. But then a second image popped into his brain: her in jeans, him in sweats, and in their pajamas Lucy and Parker. In his vision, the two children were sitting between the two adults as they all ate a pizza, sat on his couch and watched a movie.

Booth liked both hypothetical dates, perhaps a little too much. He loosened his tie and gathered himself once more. Picking a piece of linty paper off of his jacket he returned to the table, trying to focus on being professional. He could use imagination later, now was the time for facts. Thinking absurdly that Brennan would be proud of him for his focus, he made his way back to the table, his expression neutral and his stomach growling.

Brennan had no explanation for his sudden disappearance by the time he returned: his tie loosened, his hair and the collar of his shirt slightly damp. By mutual silence, they agreed to let the subject drop. Neither was able to come up with a neutral topic, so they sat in a rather uncomfortable quiet waiting for their food. Georgie brought over their plates and smiled toothily at Booth, she may be old enough to be his mother, but she could still look at the handsome man. She cracked a few jokes that Booth politely chuckled at and Brennan just did not understand. However, Georgie's pluck helped relax the tension and they were able to discuss some more of the case over a rather excellent meal that despite the rather grimy place, was fresh and delicious.

Brennan became anxious wanting to get back to work and signaled Georgie for the check. She reviewed the bill, grabbing it off of the table before Booth could reach it. She noticed that they were given a "law enforcement discount" complete with a smiling face drawn on the bill. She pulled out her credit card and Booth just let her. She looked at him, expecting a fight over the payment, just as they had the night before when he had paid for the Thai food. He was trying to keep from laughing and when she asked him to explain himself, he just choked into his napkin. Georgie came back and laughed, seeing the amused expression on Booth and the confused expression on Brennan.

"Sorry, Doc. We don't take credit cards here. Cash only."

Before Brennan could open her bag, Booth had already pulled the bills out his wallet, handed them to Georgie, stood up, picked up Brennan's useless credit card, and started to exit the building. Brennan snapped her bag shut and just sat there, fuming.

Georgie thought, "Poor girl, one had to get up pretty early in the morning to get the jump on that charming boy." But Georgie simply said, "Ease up, Doc. You'll get him next time." And she winked at Brennan. Brennan nodded sharply, but attempted a smile and then stood to head back to the SUV. If only she thought she could. He always seemed to be one step ahead of her. It was an unsettling feeling for her, but she was able to push it down and meet a still grinning Booth in his SUV. The expression on her face that just made Booth double over in laughter one last time.


	13. Ask Me Why

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends! Happy Sunday! I promise that Lucy comes back next chapter. Once again, thank you for all of your reviews and alerts. I can't wait for my lunch break every day to see if I got anything new! I finally got this story all outlined out, I think it will be about 40 chapters, and I have about another 10 already written. The problem is that they are not sequential. I have to fit in a lot more pieces. Anyone else have problems writing from a beginning to an end without jumping around in the middle? OK, story time. See you all Wednesday.

Chapter 13: Ask Me Why

July 20, 2005 3:22 PM Office of Congressman Steven Wells

Booth and Brennan had just parked at the office and Brennan had reassured Booth that she would be as silent of an observer as possible, and would try to keep her "hand out of her mouth." They approached the modern brick building and Brennan reached for the door handle, but it was locked. Booth pressed the small buzzer to the left of the door, and a chipper intern asked for identification. Booth spoke for the both of them and the intern said that she would be out momentarily and apologized for the increased security measures.

While they waited, Brennan noticed that Booth had never fixed his tie after loosening it at lunch. She reached up and without comment, straightened it. Booth caught her eye and they stared at each other. He swallowed as her hand lingered on the silky fabric. He brushed some imaginary lint off of her coat and she snapped out of her reverie.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I'm just used to helping Lucy. She always needs something fastened or tied. It's just habit."

"Yeah, I know how that goes, Bones."

"Oh, do you have experience with small children?"

At that instant the door was opened by the eager intern, and another personal moment had passed. It was now back to the strictly professional. Well almost, Booth's skin still felt slightly warm where her fingers had brushed against his shirt while gently tugging on his tie. He enjoyed the feeling perhaps a little too much. The images he had compartmentalized at Georgie's place came rushing back to him. He blindly followed the small group where he was led into a spacious office where they were gestured into seats and offered water. Brennan declined and then eyes turned to Booth. Brennan called to him in order to snap him out of his momentary lapse.

"Oh sorry, I'm fine. I don't need anything."

They were kept waiting for a few minutes when a harried looking man, who greatly resembled the image that Angela had created that morning on her computer, entered the room. The duo rose out of their chairs to meet him, and Booth made introductions while they shook hands with Steven.

Booth conveyed the news of Joseph's death. Steven's face crumpled, but no tears were shed. He wiped at his glasses, he had been expecting news like this. Still, to know that one's twin was dead, something had died inside of Steven that could never come back to life.

Booth gave the Congressman a few moments to compose himself and then launched into investigator mode. Steven confirmed Sharon's devotion to her husband and their happy marriage. Steven called in his assistant with a schedule to once again confirm his alibi for the night Joseph disappeared. Booth had previously flipped through the photos from the night of the charity event, and knew the basic sequence of events. Sharon had left early with a migraine, getting a ride home with a neighbor who had also attended the fundraiser. Joseph had left towards the end of the evening. Security tapes had footage of him entering the parking garage, but his car had never left the building. Steven and Linda had been some of the last people to leave and tapes had them in their car and out of the garage, with no suspicious activity. Booth had yet to place the fifty or so other attendees, several claimed to be the last to see Joseph, but these were powerful people, half wanted to be left alone, and the other half were looking to increase their fame and power by any means necessary. It was a nightmare. The assistant left and Booth pursued other lines of inquiry.

"Can you tell me about your brother's enemies?"

"He didn't have enemies. My brother was perfect. He was always that way." Steven chuckled. "When we were ten, he fell out of a tree, literally saving an old lady's kitten."

Brennan interjected, "He broke his ulna."

"If by ulna, you mean arm, then yes. He broke his ulna. He was always like that, it was what I had deal with, having him as a brother."

Booth listened for signs of jealousy, or anger, but there were none. There was pride, and a hint of sadness in the voice. Booth wasn't sure what to make of it. He pressed the line of inquiry.

"Were you jealous of your brother?"

"Of course, who wasn't? He had this perfect life, but I fit into it. Before he disappeared we were making all kinds of plans. The governor is going to retire, his seat opens in 2006, and we have Senate seats opening in '08 and '10. We were thinking about if it was time to move up the ladder. Joseph wanted to spend a few more terms as a Congressman, maybe run in '10 for that Senate Seat. The incumbent's a jack-ass, never will get re-elected. I've been eyeing that Governor's chair, but I'm a ways away from having enough experience to be a strong contender. But, we were on our way. We joked about the Presidency and Vice Presidency someday. He referred to our eventual reign as 'Spamalot'." Booth was familiar with the media's adoration of JFK and the dubbing of his presidency as "Camelot." Brennan who had a vague notion of Broadway due to Angela and Lucy's interest missed the reference slightly. Still, they indulged the Congressman and smiled as he gave a half-hearted laugh. Steven continued on for a few moments more, but the line of questioning was soon played out.

Brennan had gained some confidence by this point and ventured a question, "Surely, your brother had political opponents. Anyone you were suspicious of?"

She glanced at Booth who gave her a very subtle thumbs-up. She squinted at the gesture. He was so strange sometimes. But Steven was speaking now, and she focused on his statement.

"Well, we were all disappointed when the Hayes Bill was defeated, but it was never a popular bill, not one to make enemies over. Joseph almost never took meetings with lobbyists, and he was always reaching across party lines. Everyone on the Hill liked him."

Booth asked him about local opponents and Steven continued on. "Dom was a jerk, but he's dying, everyone knows that. Don't know where the motive would be. And then there's the judge. Happy as a clam where he is at, working on making it to the Supreme Court. Umm, there was Miller, but he was a joke. Don't know why Joseph ever even talked to him, he was a weasel."

Booth shifted tactics again, he wasn't learning anything new. Booth asked Steven to go back farther in time, to enemies from their school days. There weren't any. Joseph was a jock, and popular, but he was downright decent to everyone. Booth wanted to growl in frustration, how were they ever going to solve this case if no one wanted this guy dead? Brennan seemed to sense his mood and placed a quiet hand on his arm. It was the briefest touch, but it calmed and focused him. He eventually brought the subject around to Saul. Steven scoffed at the idea that Saul harbored any resentment. Yes, he was Steven's chauffeur, but he was more than that. He was a friend, a confidant. So he hadn't been at the fundraiser that night, he was home with his family, so what? Steven had no reason to doubt Saul. Booth did not seem entirely convinced and made a mental note to haul the guy in for questioning the next day.

Booth asked a few more questions, and gleaning nothing useful, he decided that it was time to call it a day. He offered his and Brennan's sympathies again and stood up, extending a hand to Steven. They were about to walk out the door when something clicked in Brennan's genius brain. "Skylar and Sharon mentioned that your wife has been to a spa in Palm Springs four times in the span of three months. Do you find that behavior odd?"

Booth caught her eye and grinned at her. She was catching on. Her eyes sparkled in response, and he once again felt his mind begin to drift to other, more pleasant images. He took one deep breath and kept his focus.

Steven thought carefully, "Well, Linda would go back home all of the time. She'd flown to Palm Springs twice in February alone, said the winter was getting her down. It makes her happy to go, and she was unhappy staying here. She's from California, came out here for school, that's where we met. I was in a panel for a pre-law class, picked her out of the crowd. She had never planned on staying, but here we are, ten years later. I'm not sure when she is coming back, now that we know what happened to Joe, I'm sure she'll cut her trip short. I'm sure that you have questions for her, but we've done nothing but cooperate with everyone, so we'd appreciate some sensitivity, this whole incident has been very upsetting for us." Booth nodded in sympathy. Steven rose from his desk and gestured Brennan and Booth out of the room. "I need to call my wife, give her the news. Excuse me."

The duo exited the office, but Booth turned to look through the glass door. Steven Wells looked like a defeated man as he sat back at his desk and dialed the phone. Finally, alone in his office, the politician facade fell away, and all that was left was a man. Booth continued to stare and Brennan grew impatient waiting for him, until she too turned around and was caught staring at the Congressman. He clearly had only reached his wife's voicemail and left a brief message to return the call. Steven hung up the phone as if it were a great weight, placed his head in his arms across his desk and sobbed. Booth offered Brennan a sad smile and guided her out of the building, leaving the man to his grief.


	14. I Want to Hold Your Hand

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends! Happy Wednesday! Lucy is back, I know most of you missed her. Once again, thank you for all of your reviews and alerts. Today's chapter is a little short, but I have a one-shot that I am going to post tonight, and I am going to post two chapters on Sunday, because they are also kind of short, but they are separate scenes, so I want them to be separate chapters. Nothing much else to say, so on with the show.

Chapter 14: I Want to Hold Your Hand

July 20, 2005 6:02 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Angela was working on her simulations for the gunshot placement when her door opened and a small girl sat in a large chair and sprawled in it with a sigh. Without looking up, Angela addressed her "niece."

"Hi Sweetie, how was your day as Junior Assistant? Eleanor teach you something new?"

"Yeah, it was a good day." The usually loquacious girl just continued to sit idly. Angela looked up briefly, sensing the very "Brennan" mood, but with no explanation forthcoming, Angela returned to her work. Ten minutes passed before Lucy sighed once more and asked in a timid voice, "Aunt Angela, can I ask you something?" Angela saved her work and turned off her monitor. She could tell that she was in for a long talk. She came and sat in a chair across from Lucy.

"So Baby Brennan, what's up?"

"Do you think I'm ever going to have a dad?"

Whatever Angela had been expecting, it wasn't this particular topic. But then again, seeing how the Brennans' minds usually worked, she should have expected it. She exhaled and tried to phrase her words carefully.

"Is this because of Agent Booth?"

"No, yes, I don't know. It's just yesterday, I feel asleep on the couch and he carried me out to the car and buckled me in, and it felt nice. I know mom loves me, but this felt different. I just didn't know that I was missing something until... until..."

"Until you got a taste of it. Sweetie, maybe this is something that you want to talk to your mom about. I mean it's kind of her decision whether or not you ever get a new dad."

Lucy looked at her with a withering stare that was so like her mother that Angela couldn't help but smile.

"Aunt Angela, you know Mom. She doesn't believe in marriage. And she doesn't even date. I mean has she gone out with anyone since we moved here from Chicago?" Lucy barely remembered the professor that had been a distant part of her formative years. As she couldn't really remember Dr. Stires, she figured that he was never meant to be father material anyway. Any potential dad would have to make a lasting impression, right?

Lucy realized that Angela was waiting for her to continue, so she took another deep breath and went on. "I just, I want Mom to be happy. And maybe a guy would make her happy."

"Do you think that your mom is unhappy? I happen to think that she is pleased with the way her life is turning out."

"I think she's happy, but she doesn't know that she could be happier. I mean, remember when I skipped first grade, and I didn't have any friends? And I was really lonely?" Angela nodded and Lucy continued, "I had you and Mom and I really liked school, so I thought that I was happy. And then I started to make friends and then I was really happy and I knew what I was missing. Do you think, it's like that with Mom? Would she be happier if she had a boyfriend? Does she only think that she is happy; she just doesn't know the difference?"

"Well, you probably know what I think. I kept trying to get her to go out with that physics guy who kept asking her out, but she is so stubborn. She doesn't want to depend on anyone. She wants to be independent."

"But she depends on you."

Angela smiled, it was true, but Brennan would never admit it. "Well, I'm Angela Montenegro, I'm the exception to every rule." That comment at least got a smile out of Lucy.

Another worry crossed over Lucy's face, "What if... what if she does find someone, and she decides that she likes him. What happens if he doesn't like me?"

"Lucy, it is impossible for anyone who has met you to not like you. Yes, you are stubborn like your mom, and a little bossy, but you are a wonderful person. And your mom would never date someone, even for a second, if she thought that they wouldn't like you." Lucy took in all of Angela's gentle advice and let it sink in.

"Do you think FBI guy likes me?" It was probably the one question that Lucy had been meaning to ask all night. Angela had to keep the smile off of her face. Lucy was so sweet, and so transparent, just like her mother. But Angela knew exactly how Lucy was feeling. Was Booth sincere in his actions, or was it a way to try and take advantage of the beautiful scientist? Angela exhaled again, and went with the truth.

"No, Sweetie. He doesn't like you, he loves you, already. You are very lovable, kid."

"Do you think that he likes Mom?" Lucy asked in just a timid a voice as she had used previously.

"Yes, Sweetie. But maybe we should keep that part just between us for now. We have to proceed with extreme caution, a little matchmaking will go a long way. You know your mom. It has to be her idea, but we can plant the seeds anyway." Angela smirked and reached out her arms. Lucy bounced into them, and they shared a hug. Lucy buried her face in Angela's shirt, and a brief shadow of concern passed over Angela's face. Lucy was attached to Booth already. If things didn't work out with this case, she wasn't sure how anything could ever work out in real life.

Three minutes later, Brennan arrived back from a briefing at the Hoover. She took home a daughter that was lost in thought and left behind an even more pensive best friend.


	15. Here, There, and Everywhere

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Here is my first chapter for tonight. It is mainly filler, and short, so you get a bonus chapter tonight too. Enjoy.

Chapter 15: Here, There, and Everywhere

July 21, 2005 9:17 AM The Hoover Building

Thursday was a long day. Brennan had met Booth at the Hoover in order to conduct more interrogations. They had taken a field trip to the hospice center where Dominic was residing. It only took Booth one glance at the dying man and his family to know that they had nothing to do with Joseph's death. The nightmare of the cancer and the reality of his diagnosis made it clear that they would not want any other life cut tragically short. The family was pleasant and helpful until Dom lost his strength. It was only then that the duo felt unwelcome and made a hasty exit. They rode back to the Hoover building in silence, filled with pity for the dying man and his family and no closer to any new leads.

The first interrogation back at the Hoover had been with Saul. He was a balding man with a rather pronounced beer belly who was as cooperative of a suspect as possible. He told Booth how after his trouble in high school he had flunked out of college and had nearly drowned in an ocean of alcohol. It had been Joseph and Steven who had managed to get him sobered up and helped him with job placement before eventually pulling him over to their political careers.

Saul was nothing but grateful to Joseph, as he had represented Saul when he had wanted partial custody of his son. He had lost visitation rights in the past due to his alcoholism and Joseph had helped get them back. He seemed genuinely distraught over the fact that one of the few friends who had stuck by him and even defended him was gone. Booth had sighed in frustration, but there was no motive and Saul's girlfriend had vouched for his whereabouts on the night that Joseph had disappeared. Booth was forced to let him go and continued on his struggle to find a murderer.

Next up had been Hanson Miller. His short grey hair and neatly trimmed beard looked very professional, but he was dressed sloppily and he seemed to have lost an extreme amount of weight in a short time. His skin sagged and he had bags under his eyes. Booth had an uneasy feeling in his gut about the guy and Miller had motive. According to multiple sources that other agents had questioned, he was bitter over losing two elections to "GI Joe." Brennan had disagreed with Booth's assessment, disregarding his gut and his psychology.

And once again there was no forensic evidence and an alibi, and Booth wished the suspect a good day and escorted him out of the interrogation room. Miller had been very friendly if a little shifty. Booth could tell that he was sucking up. Brennan had described the man as unctuous and after she had defined the term for Booth, he had agreed "110%." This comment had earned him a math lesson that left him shaking his head. He had yet to figure out what it was about her that had so captivated him. The corrections and explanations from any other person would have driven him mad. When the knowledge came from her, he found it endearing, if annoying at times.

Booth was beyond frustrated when he and Brennan took a quick lunch break consisting of soggy sandwiches from a nearby deli and went back to more interrogations. As the afternoon went on, his aggravation grew.

Agent Mackenzie Davis had brought in two suspicious interns that she had interviewed. She had been trying to impress Booth with her investigative skills, but had just succeeded in annoying him. As it turned out, the first intern had been trying to hide from three unpaid parking tickets and had vomitted from her nervousness into a bin in the interrogation room. The second intern had been offered a position to work for a lobbyist that often worked in opposition to Joseph's agenda. It seemed that the only motive for the intern and the lobbyist was an increase in the payscale and both had ironclad alibis for the night of Joseph's disappearance.

Charlie's leads had been slightly more promising at first glance. He had been chasing after party guests, but the three suspects that he brought in for further questioning proved to be unhelpful. One lawyered up, one turned out to be lying through her teeth, and the third gave accurate information, but it opened up no new leads.

Brennan noticed that Booth became more and more frustrated as the day went on. They were still getting nowhere and until the squints had processed the rest of the evidence, he didn't think that there would be any new leads. They were just getting nowhere fast. Even Brennan was starting to become tired after the marathon of fruitless investigation. But she would never admit that to Booth. She didn't want him to send her back to the lab. She had spent the interviews observing intensely, sometime behind the glass observation wall, and sometimes in the interrogation room with Booth. Every once in awhile they would make eye contact when they were in the same room, and once when Brennan was standing behind the glass and he was talking to an anxious intern, she could have sworn that he looked right at her. It was unsettling and she was glad that he couldn't actually see her at that particular moment.

They were just calling it a day, going over a few last files in Booth's office when his desk phone rang. Booth became tenser and tenser on the phone, and Brennan was distracted by the sudden change in mood. Eventually, Booth slammed his phone down and huffed. Brennan's curiosity got the better of her and she broached the subject.

"What's wrong?"

"Steven Wells is holding a press conference, offering a reward for information on his brother's death. Our presence has been requested." From Booth's tone, she inferred that the request was actually a demand. Brennan may not be good at reading people, but for once, she and Booth were on the same page.


	16. Hey Bulldog

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Here is the second chapter for tonight. A little bit of action for Brennan. I loved the 100th episode, so the scene at the end is a little homage to Brennan punching the judge. As always thank you for all of your reviews and alerts. I keep trying to respond individually to reviewers, but always seem to run out of time. Just know that they are always appreciated and motivating. Enjoy.

Chapter 16: Hey Bulldog

July 22, 2005 11:47 AM The National Mall

Steven Wells had just finished an impassioned speech, begging for help in the identification of his brother's killer. Sharon, Joseph's widow, stood beside him and Skylar held Saul's hand in the back of the crowd. Linda, Steven's wife was nowhere to be found. Brennan and Booth had stood on the sidelines, trying to avoid all of the press. Eventually, the media ran out of questions for the Congressman and they began to disperse. Brennan and Booth became separated as someone pushed her aside. A journalist recognized Booth from a case that he had cleared in the past and was trying to get him to issue a statement on behalf of the FBI.

Booth's official comment was "no comment" and he attempted to slip away from the crowd. Unfortunately, other journalists had caught on to who was present and began crowding him, trying to make him slip. Despite all of the frustrations with the case, Booth kept his cool and remained silent. Brennan was proud of him for not getting flustered and she edged further away from the press milling around Booth, trying to stay out of the way. As she skirted the crowd, she overheard two photographers talking, and she knew exactly who they were talking about. She marched the few steps towards them and listened in on the conversation.

"What a jack-ass. Just trying to get some attention."

"I bet Larry King will be knocking down his door by tonight."

"Did you get a good look at him, its the ladies from the View that are going to be after him." They both snorted, and one of them adjusted his equipment onto his left arm.

"Who does that guy think he is?" Brennan could stay silent no longer.

"His name is Special Agent Seeley Booth, and he is a very qualified member of the FBI."

"Sure, honey. You keep telling yourself that."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

The photographer who had brought up the View looked at her like a piece of meat. "Sweetheart, I got moves the FBI has never seen. Why don't you dump pretty boy and come home with me? I've got a real gun. And I know how to use it." He raised an eyebrow at her and then licked his lips.

She stared at him blankly. The second photographer added his two cents. "We saw you two lovebirds come in together. But look at all of the nice young things he's got on his arm now. He seems to have forgotten all about you. Rick can show you a good time. Pretty boy over there isn't so special, is he?"

Brennan rose to Booth's defense. The words were out of her mouth before she censor them. "Yes, he is very special. He is a highly decorated agent, and a fine human being, which is more than I can say about either of you. Now I believe that you should pack up your equipment and leave." She attempted to brush past them when Rick grabbed her arm and made a final lewd comment about Booth. Instinct took over and before she knew what was happening, she had kicked him. She had kicked him, hard. Instantly, he released her, dropped his equipment and grabbed his shin attempting to rub out the pain, screaming obscenities at the woman who had attacked him.

Suddenly, the oppressive crowd had abandoned Booth and was instead focused on the screaming photographers and Dr. Brennan who had frozen after realizing that many eyes were now glaring at her. A few cameras were also rolling on the scientist and the two men, not having been put away after the press conference. Booth tried to fight his way through the crowd to rescue her, but someone beat him to the center. A local policeman had slapped a pair of handcuffs on her and was leading her away as the irate photographers yelled after her.

Booth flashed his badge at everyone in his way, trying to get to Bones before they drove her away. What the hell had happened? He had been trying to shoo away the press and get back to work, and now Brennan was being led away in cuffs, and protesting, loudly. He groaned when he caught a few of her comments to the policeman that was leading her to a car. He was too late to stop Brennan from being taken away, but he reached the men who had started the commotion and slapped his own set of cuffs on the injured photographer. This maneuver shocked the still angry man into silence.

"Come on, Buddy, let's have a little chat." The photographer spat in anger and winced in pain, as Booth forcefully marched the jerk towards Booth's SUV. He practically shoved Rick into the back of the SUV and slammed his own door shut as he got in the driver's seat. Booth took a few calming breaths, shifted gears and followed the police cars now driving towards their home base.


	17. Carry That Weight

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Wednesday! This chapter continues my homage to the 100th episode and a little nod to the pilot as well. Enjoy.

Chapter 17: Carry That Weight

July 22, 2005 3:52 PM The Hoover Building

Sam Cullen stood behind his desk. Brennan and Booth sat in chairs on the other side, looking like children who had been caught with their hand in a cookie jar after being told not to eat snacks before dinner. Cullen looked down into Brennan's eyes. "Dr. Brennan, care to explain what happened today?" His voice was harsh and Brennan just shifted her gaze from the Deputy Director to her feet. She was exhausted and embarrassed. Cullen's foot tapped against his desk with impatience. Brennan glanced once in Booth's direction and when he felt her eyes on him, he looked towards her. Immediately, her face snapped back to the floor.

Booth continued to stare at her, with a look on his face that Cullen would have to be blind to miss. Cullen stopped his tapping and glared at Booth, thinking to himself that this problem was just going to get bigger. He trusted Booth, he just didn't think that he could trust Booth with Dr. Brennan. The gaze that Booth had yet to realize he had fixed on Brennan only confirmed Cullen's belief that squints did not belong in the field, and he wasn't overly fond of them in his office, either. Booth seemed to finally realize that he was staring at Brennan, blinked and with a faint blush on his cheeks returned to staring at his own shoes. Cullen cleared his throat and looking down at the agent and the scientist said in his most authoritative tone, "Dr. Brennan, you're fired."

Both seated occupants of the room snapped their heads up from their feet to the face of a very angry Deputy Director and then in unison said, "What? Why?"

"Dr. Brennan, do I really need to explain why? Agent Booth just spent three hours convincing a very pissed off photographer to not press charges, and to get the nice local officers to release you, and to get that video footage off of the six o'clock news. It was all over the television this afternoon, and it didn't help that it was caught during a live broadcast that interrupted a Congressman announcing the death of his brother."

"Sir, in her defense, the conference was over, they were just trying to get some answers out of the FBI. Which they did not get." There was a hint of smugness to the end of Booth's speech and frankly it ticked Cullen off.

Cullen cut Booth off with a sharp look. "I don't want to hear it. Booth, I told you that she was your responsibility. You turn your back for one second, and look what happened." Brennan began to protest. "No comments from the peanut gallery. Dr. Brennan, we have come to rely on your expertise here at the Bureau, but we can't have you assaulting people when you are out in the field."

"I just kicked him, once. He was insulting..." She stopped her explanation immediately. She was once again taken over by a sudden bout of shyness. She was never shy, but she didn't know how to explain that she had kicked that reporter because he had insulted Booth. She tried to rationalize why she had felt the need to avenge the insult, but her quick mind was failing her. She couldn't process it. And Cullen was talking again.

"Dr. Brennan, with all due respect, you are a grown woman. Didn't your parents ever teach you that it was wrong to hit people?"

Brennan missed the sarcasm in Cullen's voice, but the comment about her parents hit her, hard. Her face turned red, and for a minute both Booth and Cullen thought that they were going to get slugged by her. Instead she gave them each a quick, hard glare.

She said in a calculated tone, "Very well, I will send my notes over to the FBI. You can contact my assistant in order to claim your evidence. I would appreciate no further direct contact from any person who is currently or has been previously employed in this building." And she stormed out of the room. Booth called after her, and chased her down part of a hallway, but she had disappeared. After glancing around the hall for her one more time, he turned on his heel and went back to Cullen's office. He was going to eat humble pie, and grovel, and beg and anything else necessary to get the FBI to give him and Bones one more chance. They both needed it. He had spent almost an hour with Rick and knew exactly why she had kicked the photographer and her unexpected loyalty had touched him deeply. It was official, she was crazy, but he was crazy about her.

Twenty minutes later the Booth charm had worked, and a mildly placated Cullen agreed to keep them on the case, but with a firm warning to keep out of everyone's hair for the weekend. They could come back fresh and calm on Monday. The other agents could handle the investigation for two days, there were still a few interrogations to complete, but now the case was waiting for the squints to identify hair samples and particulates. Booth breathed a sigh of relief as he exited the office. He had an hour before he was set to pick up Parker for the weekend, relieved that he didn't have to cancel his weekend plans because of the case. He had just enough time to get over to the Jeffersonian and tell Brennan that she was back. He flipped his poker chip in the air as he attempted a cheerful expression as he passed by his coworkers. He ignored the stares of the men and women in the cubicle, and missed one gloating agent collecting twenties from several of his friends.

* * *

Meanwhile, Brennan had spent over ten minutes sitting in her car, trying and failing to calm down. She had then driven like a mad woman to the lab, distracted by the millions of thoughts that were flying through her head. She was angry that she had been fired after one silly mistake. But crowding to the forefront of her mind was Cullen's comment about her parents. How dare he? How could he? Somehow, this was all Booth's fault. It had to be. Not really satisfied with that conclusion, she reached the parking structure and was beyond annoyed that someone had parked in her space. She took another available slot and slammed every available door as she made her way to her office. She was almost there when she literally ran into Angela.

Angela squealed and gave her a hug, relieved to find out that charges had been dropped and that she was a free woman. Brennan did not mention the fact that they were fired. She didn't want to deal with it at the moment. Angela could not miss Brennan's foul mood and she did not follow Brennan into her office to press her for information. But Angela did watch as Brennan violently grabbed stacks of files and practically threw them in a box that had once been filled with obsolete papers. Papers that were now a pile in the middle of the floor. It was while Brennan was pulling files out of a cabinet and throwing them onto the now overflowing box that Booth arrived, looking even more panicked than Brennan had looked angry.

Angela cut him off as he made a beeline for Brennan's office. "Booth, what the hell happened today?"

"Not now, Angela. I'm trying to fix this."

"Good luck." Angela told him, but she was the only one who heard the comment, as Booth was already in Brennan's office.

Angela never knew exactly what Booth said to Brennan, but she calmed down. And by the time that Booth had helped her reorganize her files and place them back in their original places, Brennan had almost smiled once. But no matter what Booth said, Brennan's eyes never lost their sad little girl look. Angela watched the pair until Booth glanced at a clock. Angela could lip read the curse that escaped his mouth and he walked briskly out of the lab, giving Brennan a fleeting wave. Brennan looked a little hurt at his abrupt exit, as he hadn't even said goodbye or explained his sudden departure. But, in true Brennan style, she closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. Then she exhaled and slowly opened her eyes, ready to move on. She gathered her bag and left her office two minutes later. Brennan did not notice Angela, as she was hunting through her bag to pick up her ringing cell. Angela heard Lucy's voice as Brennan exited the lab.

"Mom, what happened to you today? I saw the news..." Brennan's stride did not change as she talked to her daughter, but Angela could see the strain in each of her friend's steps as she walked out of the lab.

Angela sighed and slid her card as she made her way onto the platform.

She plucked an earbud out of Hodgins' ear; he had been so focused on his work that he had missed the entire event. "Hey, wanna grab a drink? I need one."

Hodgins' mouth dropped open. "Yeah, baby." There was an awkward pause. "Sorry, the baby thing was a reflex." Angela grinned.

"I'll just get my purse. See you in five minutes." She turned around and Hodgins' fist pumped the air. According to Hodgins, today had turned out to be a pretty good day.


	18. Strawberry Fields Forever

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Thursday! Today is my birthday, so as a birthday present to myself, I decided on a bonus post. This is actually one of the first chapters that I ever finished for this story, and I know that many of you have been waiting for it for awhile (and become quite vocal in reviews about it :-), sorry it took me 18 chapters to get here), so here it is. Enjoy and see you Sunday.

Chapter 18: Strawberry Fields Forever

July 23, 2005 9:26 AM The Brennan's Apartment

"Well, what's on the agenda today? It's your Saturday after all," Brennan asked Lucy as they finished their breakfast. Brennan had been in a foul mood all night on Friday and was trying to make an effort to improve her demeanor for her daughter, but Lucy could see through it. Lucy could always confide in her mother, but her mother rarely confided in her. Sometimes, her mother really closed off and Lucy would have to call Aunt Angela to cheer both of them up. Lucy hoped to avoid that particular issue this time. Even though she didn't feel like it, Lucy put on a smile and a cheery tone that she knew would fool her mother.

"I was thinking the park. You know the one with the great swings? It's my favorite one. And then lunch. And I am still trying to figure out the afternoon plans. Would it be OK if we went back to the aquarium maybe? I didn't get to see the entire Everglades exhibit last time we were there."

"It's your day, if you want to go to the aquarium, that's where we will go."

"I'll think about it, and let you know at lunch what I want to do this afternoon."

"That sounds like an acceptable compromise." Brennan smiled a smile that didn't fool Lucy, but Lucy let it slide and went to her room to finish getting ready for the day.

Thirty minutes later, Lucy and Brennan had parked their car and Lucy was about ready to launch herself onto the swings when she stopped so abruptly that Brennan walked into her.

"No way! It's FBI guy! What is he doing here?" Without waiting for a response from her mother, she was off running, this time towards a jungle gym slightly to the left of the swings. "Hey, FBI guy, what are you doing here?"

Booth took his eyes off of Parker who was climbing up a few rungs and looked over to see the face that matched the voice that had called to him. He smiled at Lucy, and he couldn't contain his grin when he saw the exasperated look that the mother was giving the girl. "Of all the gin joints," Booth mused under his breath. She was obviously still upset about the incident the day before because she was refusing to make eye contact with him, although she had followed Lucy and both were quickly approaching the metal structure.

"Hey, Dad. Who's that?" Parker had stepped off the gym and was looking at the two people who were distracting his dad.

At the sound of the small voice and the sight of the blond mop of hair, both women spoke at once.

"You have a son?" Brennan had asked incredulously.

"I thought you were single!" Lucy had exclaimed, sounding incredibly disappointed.

Booth responded quickly trying to diffuse the situation all around. "Yes, I have a son and, umm, I'm single, but I'm too old for you, Lucy." Lucy and Brennan rolled their eyes, but Lucy's expression had a smirk to it. Booth started introductions, "Parker, I want you to say hello to Bones and Squirt." Sensing Brennan's ire at the use of the nicknames, he corrected himself. "Daddy works with Dr. Brennan and Lucy is her daughter."

"Hi Lucy, Hi Dr. Bones."

Lucy recovered from the surprise introduction first and already a plan had formed in her mind. She turned to the small boy. "Hi, Parker. It's a nice day to be at the park, it isn't too hot yet. The swings are my favorite, but I bet that you are a big slide kind of guy. Want to go down it with me? It's kind of scary by yourself." Parker looked to his Dad for approval. His Dad always took him down the big slide, but he wouldn't mind going down the slide with his new friend.

"Go ahead, Bub. Have fun. Dr. Bones and I will be watching you."

"Come on, Parker. Let's go. I'll race you." She was off like a shot, but carefully slowed her pace to allow the shorter legs to catch and surpass her. Booth looked on approvingly.

"I don't imagine a Brennan lets someone else win very often." Brennan did not respond to his comment, instead she started to walk towards a nearby bench.

"It is a very sunny day, and Parker is not wearing a hat. I hope that you have applied appropriate sun protection. I have some extra sunscreen if you need it. You wouldn't want him to get burned. A child's skin is very sensitive."

"He's protected. Don't worry about it. I'm not as incompetent as I look."

"I didn't mean that you were incompetent, I was just…"

"Don't worry about it. Thanks for the concern. His mother wouldn't be happy if I returned him damaged. I only get him every other weekend as it is."

"Why didn't you tell me that you had a son? You knew about Lucy before you even knew me and we have had plenty of time to converse this week. I am not sure why you would keep it a secret. Is it because you are ashamed that you are not married to his mother?"

Booth rubbed the back of his neck and groaned, "No, no. I am very proud of Parker. Geez, I don't know, Bones. I don't get to see him much and it's kind of hard to talk about. Rebecca, Parker's mom, she doesn't like my job and its hours, and things are kind of tense right now. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to keep a secret from you."

"I suppose that we are all entitled to our private life." She said curtly. Booth was bothered that he was unable to tell whether or not she was angry at him. They both let the subject drop. They sat in silence as they watched their children play first on the slide and then on the plastic pirate ship that was the focal point of the park area. Seeing that his son was in good hands, Booth turned his attention to the scientist. He hadn't yet seen her dressed so casually. She wore a light colored linen pant and a dark blue tank top. Her hair was pulled back and he could see a few beads of perspiration on her brow. She was sweeping over the entire playground, watching all of the interactions that were occurring. Her eyes often came to rest on Lucy, and he could see the soft smile of satisfaction that came from watching her child play,. The almost firing was forgotten and she looked quite content. Her blue eyes sparkled, and once again he longed to have those eyes look at him in that way. Feeling strangely tense, he broke the silence.

"What brings you to the park today? It's not really the closest one to your place."

"It's Lucy's favorite. She says that it has the best swings. She loves them. Angela has some theory that childhood is all about swings, and Lucy follows her logic. But every Saturday is our day together. Between lectures and work, and FBI cases, we don't get much time together. And sometimes, I lose track of time and I find her asleep on the couch in my office, so we decided that Saturdays I was not allowed to work, and it was our day together. We take turns planning the activities. Lucy usually plans an outdoor activity in the mornings. She worries that I do not get enough sunlight. We have lunch out and sometimes dinner and we do whatever we want to do, sometimes its museums or exhibits."

"Sounds fun." Booth commented sarcastically. Brennan ignored him.

"But sometimes we go to the movies."

"Do they require subtitles in order to watch them?"

"Well not if they are in French, we are both fluent in French."

"Seriously? I was joking about the subtitles."

"I'm always serious, but we do go to popular movies as well. Lucy thoroughly enjoyed the movie with the talking vehicles, and while I did not quite follow the point of the story, I did appreciate the visual effects."

"Yeah, Parker likes Cars too. We have it on DVD." He was debating whether or not she would slug him if he suggested that some time they could view the movie again, together, when Parker and Lucy came rushing back to their parents. It looked like they were racing again, and this time Lucy barely edged him out.

"Parker and I had a great idea. We can all have lunch together, and then the four of us can go to the zoo. Please Mom? We haven't been to the zoo in months, and Parker wants to see the monkeys, and I want to see the lions. I told Parker how much you know about animals, and he wants you to tell him all about them."

Lucy smiled expectantly. Aunt Angela would be so proud. It was coincidence to run into the Booths, but she was going to try her hardest to take advantage of the situation. Lucy knew that Booth would be good for her mom. And she knew that her mom would impress Booth at the zoo with her extensive knowledge. Brennan could have him eating out of the palm of her hand and be completely unaware of that fact. Trying not to get her hopes up, Lucy resigned herself to the fact that at the very least she would be highly entertained.

"Luce, I don't think so."

Lucy's voice took on a petulant tone that Brennan rarely heard from her daughter. "But, it's my day. And I pick lunch with FBI guy and Parker, and then the zoo with them."

"Lucy, did you consider Booth's plans for the day with his son. It is entirely possible that they have already made other arrangements for their limited time together. We may be interfering." Lucy appeared thoughtful, and then turned to Booth.

"Hey, FBI guy, wanna go to lunch and to the zoo? I know that you might have other plans, but I would really like it if you and Parker could spend the rest of the day with my mother and me."

"What do you say, Bub? Lunch and the zoo? With Bones and Squirt?"

"Yeah, Dad. I wanna go to the zoo!" Booth scooped up Parker and led the way out of the park.

"Fine, but I'm driving." Bones stated firmly, trying to regain control of the situation.

"No can do, Bones. You don't have a car seat for Parker. And besides, I know exactly where we are going to lunch. Ever been to a place called Wong Foo's?"

Parker cheered, "Sid, Sid, Sid!" Lucy followed Booth to his car and made her way to the backseat, grinning. She had never been to Wong Foo's but she was looking forward to it. Aunt Angela would be so proud.


	19. Obladi, Oblada

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Sunday (well, its technically Sunday on the East Coast, so I figured that it was safe to post)! I am glad that I didn't disappoint with the Lucy and Parker introduction, and hopefully my streak will continue. This is chapter has also been written for a very long time, so I am glad that I finally get to post it. It's been sitting for awhile. I may have gone overboard on the extensiveness of Sid's culinary skills, but I figure any guy who would serve seven organ soup would have a burger available.

In other news, I broke the 100 review mark. That made me very excited as do all of your continued alerts and reviews. Enjoy and see you Wednesday.

Chapter 19 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

July 23, 2005 11:49 AM Wong Foo's Restaurant

Booth had parked the car and the foursome had made their way into the restaurant. Sid greeted Booth with a complicated hand gesture that Parker attempted to duplicate afterward. Lucy waved at the owner and Brennan merely looked around at the décor. The group was soon seated and Brennan was shocked to discover that there was no need for menus.

"He has a gift," Booth had stated simply. Lucy embraced the novelty and made a game out of what Sid was going to bring everyone. She told Parker that Sid was going to bring him haggis. Parker nearly cried when Lucy explained what haggis was and Lucy had to quickly retract her statement after a stern look from Booth. Sid brought out an appetizer of loaded potato skins and an artichoke dip that restored Parker's confidence in Sid's gift and Booth was grateful that the food provided a distraction for Parker. He steered the conversation to neutral topics like how to perfect a cannonball and whether or not brownies should have frosting. Eventually, Sid brought their meals, a bacon cheeseburger and fries for Booth, chicken fingers with apple slices for Parker, a duck fried rice for Brennan, and a Thai-style curry for Lucy. The boys were also given milkshakes and the Brennans were given mango smoothies. Lucy eyed Booth suspiciously.

"Did you tell Sid that we liked mangoes?"

Sid spoke up, "Nope, I figured you ladies had more exotic tastes than the Booth boys here."

Brennan smiled her appreciation, "this looks wonderful. Thank you, Sid." Sid dismissed himself and the group enjoyed a pleasant meal. Brennan and Booth were sitting across from each other in the booth and at one point Brennan's hand sneaked across the table and stole two French fries. Booth was going to admonish her when she placed one fry on Lucy's plate and ate the other one. Instead, he pushed his nearly empty plate towards her.

"Want any more, Bones? I'm getting pretty full."

"No, thank you. One fry was entirely satisfactory. Everything was delicious. This was an excellent idea, Booth."

Booth and Lucy both grinned. It was wonderful to see Brennan relax, the tension from yesterday completely forgotten, or at least completely ignored. Either way, it worked. Booth and Brennan's eyes met and they held each others' gaze until they heard an "Uh oh" and looked to see the rest of Parker's milkshake spreading across the table. They both rushed to stop the flow of shake before it could stain any clothing. Sid quickly arrived with spare napkins and Booth realized that it was probably time to get the show on the road. Apparently Brennan did as well as she asked for the check. Sid waved an arm in dismissal.

"I already put it on Booth's tab."

"I insist on paying for Lucy and myself. It's only fair."

Booth stepped in, "You can pick up the tab next time. Don't worry about it." Lucy piped in, thanking Booth for the lunch and Brennan was forced to give up.

"May I at least leave the tip?"

"Sounds good to me." She placed a rather large bill on the table and Booth just let it go. Some fights weren't worth picking.

The zoo had been an excellent idea. It was crowded, but the little unit didn't seem to notice. Lucy and Parker were shrieking with laughter at Booth's monkey impressions and even Brennan smiled. He noticed that Lucy had inherited her crooked smile. They had a long discussion about gorillas and sign language. Parker learned that you could talk to people using hands. Lucy patiently taught him how to spell his name as well as "Dad" while casually explaining to Booth that next school year she was going to take a real class in sign language and learn more than just the alphabet.

They had passed the bear enclosures and Brennan started to tell a story about the time she had consulted on a case where a couple had been partially eaten by grizzlies. Booth had to remind her about the small ears that were surrounding them at the zoo, but both Parker and Lucy seemed disappointed not to know how the story ended. The afternoon was going well until Parker pointed to a building and exclaimed, "Snake House, Dad! Let's Go. Come on, Dr. Bones. Squirt, wanna go look at the snakes with me?"

Booth and Parker always enjoyed the reptile house, but as Booth looked at Brennan, he noticed that she had paled considerably. Lucy had also sobered and had reached for her mother's hand giving it a reassuring rub. Lucy found her voice first, "Uh, you two go ahead. We will wait for you, here."  
Booth tried to joke, "The Brennans are afraid of snakes? I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

Brennan spoke with a harsh tone, "I just don't like snakes." Lucy nodded in agreement, her face pleading with Booth to drop the subject. Booth did not miss the look.

"OK, Parks. It's just you and me. We'll meet you guys out here in ten minutes." He smiled, picked up Parker and spun him around making his way towards the building.

Lucy led her mother to an empty bench and patted her mother's arm as they sat down. Brennan gave a half-smile to her daughter, "Lucy, I'm fine. If you want to go in and join the Booths, you can. I just need some time."

Lucy still looked concerned, "Do you need time and space?"

Brennan nodded, "By the time you are done, I will be fine. Go look at the reptiles, just stay with the Booths and don't wander away."

"OK, see you in a few minutes." Lucy reluctantly stood, but respected her mother's need for privacy. She tried to appease her mother and put a little bit of skip to her step. She entered the building and found the two Booths looking at an enclosure of Komodo dragons. Parker appeared to be imagining that he was a knight. He noticed Lucy and waved. "I was just saving you and Dr. Bones from the evil dragons!"

Lucy thanked him for his thoughtfulness and Parker turned back to the lizards brandishing his imaginary sword.

Booth used the opportunity to talk to Lucy. "Your mom, is she OK?"

"Yeah. She just needed a little space. She doesn't like snakes. It's a long story, but it isn't mine to tell."  
Booth accepted that logic with a small nod, turned to Parker and led the two children through the rest of the exhibit. Lucy had only been in the reptile house on class trips and once with Aunt Angela so she took the opportunity to learn a few new things and enjoyed the animals with the Booths. As they exited the building they noticed Brennan waiting for them holding three melting snow cones in her hands.

"It is a very hot day, I thought that you would enjoy these." She handed them to Lucy, Parker and Booth. Parker was ecstatic.

"You got rainbow. My favorite! Thank you, Dr. Bones." Parker wrapped himself around her legs briefly, before taking his snow cone. Brennan had looked a tad embarrassed at the affection from the young boy, but gave him a sincere, "You're welcome" and chose to then ignore the confusing feeling and hand out the rest of her treats. Booth tried not to read into the fact that she had included him when buying treats for the children. He liked a good snow cone now and then, so he wasn't going to argue. He noticed that his was also rainbow with blue and purple and red and green colors beginning to drip in the hot sun.

"Thanks, Bones. This is nice."

"I wasn't sure what flavor you would like the best. So I got them all. I hope that's OK."

"It's perfect. And delicious." He slurped the snow cone, loudly and on purpose.

Lucy looked up at him in appreciation, then took her mother's hand and led the group to the big cats. She had yet to see the lions that day. The rest of the day was spent happily looking at lots of animals. Brennan was better about sharing appropriate facts with a four year old, and Parker couldn't wait to tell his mother about all of the things that he had learned at the zoo.

The group ended up at a pizzeria for dinner, neither Brennan nor Booth could exactly figure out how. They split the pizza half pepperoni, half spinach, mushrooms and onions. Lucy surprised Brennan by eating from the pepperoni side, and Parker asked for a slice of pizza from the Brennans' side. Booth was shocked.

"I wanna eat what Dr. Bones eats." Booth accepted the reasoning, and was satisfied that Parker ate everything but the crusts. Lucy and Booth dominated the conversation as usual, but Brennan was surprisingly open, if still a little awkward, and Parker often laughed at what she was saying, even if he only understood half of it. Booth didn't argue when Brennan picked up the tab, but he was the one that left a generous tip this time.

The Booths dropped the Brennans off at the park where her car had been left.

Lucy opened the car door, but remembered to be polite. "Thanks FBI guy. This was really fun. Can we do it again some time, Mom? Maybe next time we can go to the aquarium. Parker, you'd love the fish. Mom can tell you all about them! The aquarium doesn't have dolphins, but mom can tell you all about them too. Dolphins are our favorite. What do you guys say?"

Booth and Brennan just looked at each other and smiled. The day had been fun and Parker was already asking when they could go to the 'quarium and see the fish. Brennan now exited the car.

"We'll see. Thank you, Booth for the ride. Have a nice evening Parker." She unlocked her car, and Lucy and Brennan got in and drove off. Neither of them noticed Booth's SUV following the car until the Brennans reached home safely. As he drove towards his own home he looked at his sleeping son through the rear view mirror and decided that it had been a rather nice day, and he definitely wanted to do it again. The sooner, the better.


	20. I've Got A Feeling

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. I thought that the group might appreciate a little Parker/Booth time. I apologize if Parker is a little overboard, its been awhile since I've been around a four year old. Also, please enjoy the trip to Build-A-Bear. I think I described some of my exact experiences there. As always thank you for all of your alerts and reviews.

Chapter 20: I've Got a Feeling

July 24, 2005 8:38 AM Booth's Apartment

"So, Bub, what should we do after church today?" Booth asked as he wiped syrup off of Parker's face.

"I wanna go to the mall."

"The mall?" Parker had never before asked to go to the mall.

"We gotta get a present for Squirt. Her birthday is on Wednesday. She told me."

"Did she tell you to get her a present?" Booth was momentarily confused, Lucy was not a spoiled or particularly greedy child, would she actually be conning a four year old into buying her a gift?

"No, but she's my friend. And you get presents for friends when it's their birthday." Booth smiled gently at the explanation.

"That's true. So Squirt is your friend, huh?"

"Yeah, she and Dr. Bones are awesome. And you smile a lot when you are with them. It's nice."

"It is nice. You know what else makes me smile?"

"What, Dad?"

"Tickling you." Booth leaned towards his son who rocketed out of his chair squealing. Booth gave a halfhearted chase and eventually was able to wrangle his son and get him ready for church.

Several hours later, Booth found himself in a toy store in the mall. Parker was going up and down the "girly" aisles. Pink dolls and fake make-up kits assaulted Booth's eyes. Parker had picked up a few things, but put them down just as quickly, nothing was right for his new friend.

"Dad, let's go to another store."

"Fine with me."

Booth was only mildly surprised that Parker had left the store without once glancing at the Lego's or action figures. It seemed that his son was truly was on a mission.

Parker and Booth strolled hand in hand through the mall, Booth starting to lose what remained of his  
sanity. Suddenly, Parker stopped and pointed.

"This is the place, Dad! It's perfect!"

Booth groaned internally. He was standing in front a store filled with giggling girls and harried looking parents. He saw and heard a screaming toddler and recognized a birthday party for small girls complete with fairy wings.

"Parks, is this really the place?"

"Yeah, Dad. When I had to go to a party for Lola in my playgroup, Mom and I came here. She really liked it."

"OK, whatever you say, Bub." Booth followed Parker into the store where one could make their very own stuffed animal to take home.

"Which one should we get, Dad?" Booth had been trying to shield his eyes from the unbearable cuteness of the store when out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the perfect one.

"That's the one, Bub. Don't you think its perfect?"

Parker nodded with enthusiasm and picked up one small unstuffed body. They made their way to a contraption that would add the "fluff" to the animal. Booth groaned when he had to give the toy a "heart." He also had to make a wish and at some point twirl around in a circle. He was completely embarrassed, but Parker's joy and excitement seemed to indicate that the foolishness was worth it. Parker then insisted on giving the stuffed animal a "bath" and then they had to pick out an outfit. Parker rejected several outfits and then picked up the perfect shirt.

"Nice call, Parker. It will look great." Booth picked out matching shorts and then they made their way to the final stops, naming and paying for the animal.

Parker sat on his dad's lap while they filed out the "birth certificate" on the computer. "OK, Parker, we have to name this thing. The way I see it, you have four choices." Booth listed the options and Parker picked the one that he liked the best. Booth paid for the gift as quickly as he could and led Parker out of the store, hoping to make a hasty retreat from the mall. They had almost made a clean getaway when Booth saw something that stopped him in his tracks. And she was walking his way.

"Hey, Angela."

"Hey, Studly. Who's the mini-me?"

"I'm Parker." The blond boy smiled broadly and extended a hand to the pretty, dark haired lady.

Angela shook it seriously, and then smiled at Booth who had just remembered the cardboard box in his hand and tried to hide it behind his back. He failed miserably.

"So Booth, whatcha got there?"

Parker jumped in, "It's a present for Lucy."

Angela couldn't handle the sweetness, "You know Lucy?"

"Yes, she is my new best friend." Angela looked at Booth, who thought he was going to die of embarrassment. He was saved by the ringing of his cell phone. Seeing that it was a call from the Hoover, he asked Angela to briefly watch over Parker and stepped out of the small boy's earshot.

Angela turned to the boy again, "So Lucy is your new best friend?"

"Yep, and she is going to be my sister someday." Angela nearly fainted.

"Parker, did your dad tell you that?"

"No, I figured it out all by myself. I'm really smart." Angela nodded at the boy, a huge grin spreading over her face.

"You are really smart, so why is Lucy going to be your sister?"

"Cause my dad and Dr. Bones are going to get married." If he hadn't looked so serious, and if he hadn't been a little boy, she would have laughed in his face. Instead, her grin just grew wider and she ruffled the boys hair.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, my Dad smiles a lot when she is around. He really really likes her. And when you really really like somebody, you marry them." Angela mused, _out of the mouth of babes._

Angela didn't know what to say. Between herself, Lucy, and now Parker, Booth and Brennan had a lot of fan support. They just had to proceed carefully. Brennan guarded her heart fiercely. Very few people were let in, but there was always hope that the guard would drop and she would let Booth in. Angela saw Booth making his way back to the two of them, trying to get off of the phone and return to his son.

"Maybe, we should just keep this a secret between the two of us for now. Your dad and Dr. Bones may take a little bit more time to figure things out than you needed, so we have to be really quiet about it. I bet you are really good at keeping secrets, right?"

Parker nodded so hard, Angela thought that his head might pop off. "I won't tell. Promise." Angela breathed a small sigh of relief. Timing was everything, she knew. By the time Booth arrived back, Parker was telling a thrilling tale from T-ball and Angela just stood there looking like the Cheshire Cat. Booth ignored the expression, but grew nervous as to what Parker could have possible said to make Angela look like that. He simply thanked Angela for watching Parker and made a hasty goodbye, still clutching Lucy's present. He picked up Parker with his free arm and bolted out of the mall, leaving a very amused Angela in his wake.


	21. I Should Have Known Better

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. I hope everyone had a good weekend. Not much to say today, except that the plant disease is real, although the experiment is not. Once again I thank you for your reviews and alerts. See you Wednesday, and enjoy.

Chapter 21: I Should Have Known Better

July 25, 2005 9:36 AM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth walked into the lab with a smile on his face. It faded slightly when he saw the team, minus Hodgins, assembled on the platform. Booth worried over Brennan's behavior now that they were back to work, but she appeared relaxed and she personally left the group in order to allow him access to the platform. She didn't avoid meeting his eyes, but he could tell that Brennan was in work mode and that Saturday was a distant memory. Still he attempted to make polite conversation, trying to gauge where he stood after Friday's incident.

"So Bones, how was your weekend?" He wasn't expecting to hear about how wonderful Saturday had been, and she didn't mention Wong Foo's or the zoo. Still, he couldn't help being disappointed that she didn't bring the subject up. And then he focused on what she was actually saying.

"Very productive, actually. I was able to overcome my writer's block and was finish several chapters of my book."

"You writing a textbook? Something about bones?"

"No, I'm writing a novel."

Booth was glad that he had skipped the second cup of coffee this morning. He would have just taken a sip and choked on it if he had stopped at the nearby cafe on his way in. He couldn't picture her writing a novel, a work of fiction. She was brilliant and beautiful, but he didn't consider her to be the most creative or intuitive person, qualities essential for a decent writer. Still, he knew not to doubt her. She could do anything that she put her mind to, and he was certain that she could do it well.

Angela, who had been hovering, chimed in intent on bragging over her best friend. "She's let me read a few chapters. Believe me, it's going to make her rich and famous. Well, famous to everybody, not just the other, less brilliant anthropologists out there in the world."

Booth wiggled an eyebrow at Brennan, "So, when do I get to read a few chapters?"

Brennan turned her attention to an image on a nearby monitor, but answered Booth in her serious way, "after it's published, of course."

He frowned, of course she wouldn't let him read her book, but Booth was either persistent or a masochist and he pressed his luck. "So what's the novel about?" Booth was genuinely curious about her book. And pulling her attention away from the monitor and onto his face wasn't a bad side-effect of question asking either.

"Solving a crime using forensic anthropology. I started working on it after I worked a few cases with the government, but I was having problems writing a compelling male protagonist. However, after this week, I sat at my laptop and the words just flowed. I was surprised at how easy it was, actually."

Booth was now highly amused. His voice adopted a comical tone. "Am I rubbing off on you, Bones? I'm flattered." He nudged her shoulder playfully.

"Well, technically, anytime you touch anything, dead epidermal cells will rub off..."

Angela decided to step in again. She wasn't Brennan's wing-girl for nothing. "Not at all what he meant, Sweetie, and may I just say 'Eww.' Booth thinks that he is the inspiration behind your 'compelling male protagonist.'"

"That is just ridiculous, Angela. Of course Booth isn't influencing the character's persona. Booth is nothing like Andy Lister."

Booth jumped back into the conversation and attempted to keep his tone casual. "OK, point taken. So who is he, a nerdy squint with no social skills and inch-thick glasses?"

"Of course not, he is a charismatic FBI agent." Angela had to stifle a hearty laugh, but mostly failed as an amused squeak escaped her covered mouth. Even Zack, who had been silently observing the conversation all this time made an odd noise. In her typical manner, Brennan alone seemed to not be in on her own joke.

Booth winced and muttered under his breath, "Nope, nothing like me at all." But he was saved from further unintended insults on his character by the beeping of the security system and an overly excited Hodgins practically running towards them, with a folder in his hands.

He shouted and practically vibrated with excitement. "_Ophiostoma ulmi_!"

As if that explained everything. A frustrated Booth focused on the scientist. "Hodgins, English, please?"

"The fungus in the leg wound. It's the cause of Dutch Elm Disease. And the wood is significant too."

"Why?" Booth wondered how anyone could get excited over a fungus.

"Elm trees have been wiped out by this disease across America. The University of Virginia had a trial where they planted a hybrid that they hoped would be resistant to the disease along several streets in Albermarle County as a research experiment. The project was abandoned after two years, after the majority of the trees became infected anyway. Money got pulled from the project and the trees were pretty much left to rot. Someone must have cut a dead tree down recently and then used the same saw on the Congressman's leg."

"And, we care because?"

"Because, only one of the experiment locations was set near an auto body shop. I took the liberty of printing out directions to what could be the murder scene." He opened the folder and handed Booth a few printed pages.

"Well, why didn't you start with that. Nice work, Hodgins." Booth patted him on the back as he took the directions and rolled them up in his hand.

Brennan was also impressed with Hodgins' skills. "Very good, Dr. Hodgins. Booth, how long will it take you to get a warrant?"

"I'll call it in, should be an hour or so. You coming out with me, Bones?"

"Yes, I'd like to investigate the scene personally."

"Of course you would. Just promise me that you will keep your legs to yourself." Angela had to stifle another laugh, as Brennan rolled her eyes and turned back to the monitor asking Angela about the visuals. Booth wandered over to the opposite edge of the platform, calling for his warrant. After a few minutes, he returned to the squints who were all now pouring over the monitor that had captured Brennan's attention. They had politely waited for him before going over several of Angela's simulations, but the following dialogue went over his head. As he watched, a bit in awe over Angela's recreations, he saw several animated figures being shot at at various angles and trajectories. And he caught words like: inconsistent, improbable, and unusual.

Brennan turned back to the now clean skeleton of Joseph Wells and examined it. Booth watched the care that she used as her fingers delicately probed bones. She called over Zack and they spent a lot of time on certain rib injuries and an undetectable to Booth indentation on the femur. However, the two forensic anthropologists grew silent and Zack stepped away from the skeleton, joining Hodgins, Angela, and Booth as they continued to watch Brennan work. Booth sidled over to Angela and asked what was going on. Angela whispered that "Brennan is waiting for the bones to speak to her." Booth whistled under his breath.

Several minutes passed, and just when Booth was about to yell "Fire" just to have a change of pace, Brennan's head snapped up from the skeleton and turned towards the squints.

"There is only one way to explain to inconsistency of data. There were two killers." She then snapped off her gloves and began to walk off the platform.

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on, Bones. You can't just tell me that there were two killers and walk off. Where are you going anyway?"

"To my office to get my kit ready in order to inspect the shop when we get the warrant. And we already explained everything to you on the monitor."

"Well, explain it again, and speak in English this time."

"I was speaking English, the entire time."

"Well then, slow it down. We aren't all geniuses here." The squints looked at him blankly. Angela could sympathize with his pain, but she was a brilliant programmer and had been pouring over Brennan's data for days. In this case, they were all geniuses and he was an idiot.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I forget that the FBI does not train their agents properly in forensic science vernacular. I will attempt to use more lay-person terminology."

"Good start with using plain English there, Bones." She didn't understand his sarcastic tone and just turned back to the images. She pointed to the monitor, missing his reaction to her dig at the FBI and explained the footage that Angela had created.

"The trajectory of the bullet matches a gun that was fired by a person who was a height between five-seven and five- eleven, but at some point, the victim was held down and the killer's knee made an impression here. There were so many other bone injuries, that it was difficult to separate the most recent injuries from previous ones." She pointed to a rib that was now glowing red on the monitor. "The killer must have been wearing a steel-toed boot and injured the victim's leg. But the measurements don't add up. Knowing the height of Wells, we can calculate the approximate length of the killer's fibula, and from that, estimate the height of the killer."

"And it doesn't match up?" Booth let out a heavy exhale.

"No, it doesn't. According to this data, the killer was over six feet tall."

"Is it possible that the calculations for the bullet are off?"

Zack stepped in, "Improbable. I have gone over all of the calculations, twice. Comparing my calculations to Angela's simulations, it is the only solution that takes all data into account." The rest of the team looked as if Zack's word was law. There was no way he could make any sort of miscalcuation, it was silly of Booth to doubt him.

Booth sighed again, "I can't even catch one killer, now I have to find two?" Angela looked at him with pity, but Brennan looked him directly in the eye.

"We will catch them, Booth. We are the best in the world." And impulsively, she reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder. As she moved to pull it away, his own hand snaked out and grabbed hers, giving it a single squeeze before releasing it.

"Thanks, Bones." He said in a hoarse whisper. Angela did a silent victory dance that Booth and Brennan did not notice. Brennan only nodded once and turned her attention to Hodgins.

"Hodgins, you said earlier that you had some information on the evidence that was gathered by the FBI techs." Hodgins who been distracted by Angela's reaction to the brief interaction of agent and scientist now gathered himself in order to answer Brennan.

"Yeah, all three hairs were from males. A medium length grey hair and two short hairs, one brown and one blond. The FBI ran them through their data base, no hits. Whoever these guys are, they are clean."

"But any one of them, maybe more has a connection to this garage in Virginia?" Booth was still trying to process the data.

"Definitely, two of the hairs, the shorter ones, had prolonged exposure to chemicals found in most auto body shops. They'd been working there for months, maybe years." Hodgins continued to go over particulate evidence that pointed to the victim being held in the garage in Virginia. The squints and Booth continued to dissect data for the next half hour, Booth feeling hope for the first time now that they finally had a solid lead. Finally, a text came through Booth's phone.

"Bones, warrant's in. Let's go. Chop, chop." Booth practically jumped down the stairs of the platform, eager for action. Brennan made a quick stop in her office for her kit and met Booth at the lab entrance. Before she could stop him, Booth had grabbed the heavy kit out of her hand and placed his hand on the small of her back and led her out the door. Expecting a lecture on how women are just as capable as men and that there was no need for him to carry her things, both Angela and Booth were surprised when she just flashed him a sincere smile and said a quiet "thank you."

As soon as the doors had closed, Angela gave the duo an enthusiastic thumbs up while re-enacting her happy dance from earlier, a dance that this time, no one but Zack saw. Confused, he just walked away. He still had a lot of work to do before he could go home that night. Still, he made a mental note to have Hodgins explain Angela's actions later. He may be a genius, but if there was one thing he couldn't understand, it was women.


	22. Magical Mystery Tour

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. It's technically Wednesday, so its time for an update. This chapter is a little bit on the short side, but there is some good stuff coming up in the next chapter. Once again I thank you for your reviews and alerts, I know that I've been a bit behind in replies, but they mean a lot. See you Sunday, and enjoy.

Chapter 22: Magical Mystery Tour

July 25, 2005 1:17 PM Goodfellas Garage, Charlottesville, VA

Booth and Brennan had arrived to a closed building that looked mostly disreputable. Brennan muttered something about never trusting her car here and Booth mutely agreed. Booth casually noted two stumps on the corner of the lot. Brennan took a few samples from the trees as well as taking a few pictures, while Booth looked around the perimeter. There were no employees present, just a cardboard clock that read "Will Return At," with hands pointing to 1:30. Armed with a warrant, Booth opened the office door, surprised that it was unlocked. He flicked on a set of lights and drew his weapon, cautiously examining and clearing the space. Satisfied, he holstered his gun and signaled that Brennan could begin her investigation.

Concentrating her efforts along a large drain, she unpacked her kit and brought out several chemicals. Booth watched in an interested fashion as she explained that the chemicals would test for blood and when a carefully tended vial turned pink, he knew that she had found what they had been looking for. She once again brought out her camera and took several photos. She then tested a few other surfaces and collected several samples, after carefully labeling the vials to appease Hodgins and any other technicians that may handle them. The shop was eerily quiet as he watched her work in silence, the only sound the occasional flash of her camera bulb. He was ignorant to the fact that he had let his guard down until a voice yelled at them, asking them what they were doing.

With the reflexes of the Army Ranger, Booth had pinned the man who had yelled at them against a wall, raising him several inches off of the floor. Too late, Booth realized that he was manhandling a teenager. Keeping him pinned against the wall, Booth began to question the kid about the murder that had likely taken place in the garage. The boy had turned ghostly pale and had stuttered through a response.

"I'm just the summer help. I only started last month. I don't know anything about a murder. I wasn't here, I swear. I don't know what you are talking about." Even Brennan could not miss the rising panic in the boy's voice.

Brennan came beside the two men. "Booth, put him down. You are scaring him."

Booth released his grasp on the teenager who looked like he was about to vomit.

"Where is your boss?"

"Umm, Mr. De Niro is in a nursing home. Had a heart attack right here at work two weeks ago. His son is supposed to take over for him, but he hasn't shown up, I heard he lives somewhere in Michigan, can't get away."

"Hold on, your boss's name is De Niro, and he owns a garage named Goodfellas?"

Brennan who had been continuing her observation of the scene spoke again. "Booth, how on Earth is that relevant?"

Booth ignored the comment but turned to the teenager again. "So if there is no boss, why do you keep coming in?"

"Cars keep coming in. We are short-handed right now. A couple months back, Mr. De Niro fired two of his mechanics. He caught them breaking in. They told him that they were just cleaning up, but he tossed their sorry asses out. He hired me for cheap, but never got around to hiring anyone else. And as you can see, the other guys don't seem to care that much. You know, 'while the cat's away.' All that stuff. I just stepped out to get some lunch, the guys said they'd be back after the Nationals game." Booth did not look pleased at that information. Then again, he was a Phillies man himself.

Brennan, with her excellent skills at multi-tasking had continued her scene investigation. She was currently crouched on the floor looking under a shelving unit. Booth would have called it a gut feeling if he had been paying attention to her. Brennan would never have admitted to having an instinct about that shelf, but there was no denying it. Something had led her to that particular spot at that particular moment. Under the small opening between floor and shelf, something glittered. Pulling out first a flashlight, then her camera, and finally a pair of tweezers, she further explored the area around the object and then pulled it out.

"Booth?" Her voice was raised and he turned from the teenager to the scientist.

"Yeah?" He squinted at the object still being carefully held in the tweezers.

"I think I just found the bullet that was used to kill Wells. The caliber matches." She went to her kit for an evidence bag. Booth turned back to the teenager who had turned green at seeing the bullet and the glare from the agent.

"OK kid, you are coming with us and you are going to tell me everything that you know. And you are going to cooperate."

The boy gulped, "Yeah, of course. But, like I said, I wasn't here. I just heard stuff from some of the other mechanics. I never even met the guys. It's all just gossip."

"We'll see about that buddy. Come on." Booth marched the kid to the SUV, while simultaneously calling for local officers to pick up the rest of the mechanics for questioning when they came back in from wherever they were watching the game from. He also called in Feds to process the rest of the crime scene. This was the biggest break in the case so far, and it relieved Booth. But he knew that there was still a long way to go until justice was served. Brennan continued to catalog evidence to her own satisfaction while Booth babysat his newest witness until the local techs could take over.

* * *

Half an hour on the road back to DC, Booth and Brennan had not been discussing the case due to their third companion, but were discussing how they were going to proceed once Booth was back at the Hoover.

"You going to join me for some interrogations, Bones?"

Brennan looked at the clock, calculating how much more time they would be spending in a car.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I need to pick up Lucy. She is at science camp today and Angela is already going to have to pick her up and bring her back to the lab. I promised her that I would be home for dinner tonight."

"No problem, Bones. I wouldn't want you to break a promise to your kid." She hesitated for a moment, and then Brennan did something decidedly un-Brennan like.

"Would you like to join Lucy and I for dinner tonight? I was going to make macaroni and cheese. I got the recipe from a chef I met at a gallery opening with Angela. She's trying to open a restaurant in town, she is very talented. And the recipe is rather good. We can discuss the case after dinner, if you want."

Booth had to bite his own tongue to keep the grin on his face manageable.

"I'd like that. A way to a man's heart is through his stomach."

"Booth, that is scientifically inaccurate."

"Just, nevermind, Bones. I'll bring dessert. Any aversion to chocolate cake?" His voice had again taken on his joking tone.

"No, that would be acceptable." She turned her head to stare out the window at the scenery, but Booth could see her reflection in the window. Her eyes sparkled and Booth was momentarily distracted by them.

The boy in the backseat spoke up. "Umm, dude. Could you keep your eyes on the road and off of your girlfriend? I can't cooperate if I'm dead you know."

"Be quiet, buddy." Booth spoke through gritted teeth as he corrected his course. At the same time, Brennan also spoke.

"I am not his girlfriend."

"Sure, whatever. Could you at least put on the radio? I'm dying back here."

Booth punched on the radio and tuned the station to NPR, mostly to spite the kid in the back, too late realizing what punishment he had inflicted on himself. Only one of the three passengers in the car enjoyed the long ride back to DC.


	23. Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. Confession time, this chapter was never in my original outline, but I'm glad that my muse pushed me in this direction. You'll learn a little bit about Brennan and Lucy's past, I promise that the whole story will come out soon, but this is a little reward for your patience. I'm really proud of this one, and I hope that you enjoy. See you Wednesday.

Chapter 23: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

July 25, 2005 7:28 PM The Brennans' Apartment

Booth had arrived later than he meant to, having been detained by finding the teenage mechanic a ride home and dealing with the transfer of the other employees of Goodfellas Garage who had been rounded up by local officers. He came armed with chocolate cupcakes and apologies. Brennan had brushed aside his apology, knowing that work duties were important and a bouncing Lucy led Booth to the table. The Brennans had kept dinner hot, and the three sat down and shared an enjoyable meal together.

Lucy's adventures were the main topic of discussion as she had an interesting day at science camp. Angela had also spent time giving her an art lesson while they had been waiting for Brennan to return from Virginia. Booth then shifted focus to birthday plans for Lucy. At Angela's insistance and through her planning, Lucy was having a party with some of her school friends on Saturday. The theme for the party was still a surprise for both Lucy and Brennan, but Angela had promised greatness and so greatness was expected. Lucy had enthusiastically invited Booth and Parker to her party, and Booth promised that he would check with Rebecca to see if he could bring Parker over for a couple of hours. He knew it would all depend on the mood and whims of his ex-girlfriend.

Trying to change the focus from the empathetic gazes he was receiving from both Brennans, Booth turned to Lucy. "So Squirt, what do you want for your birthday?"

"I want to go with my Mom to Japan. She was asked to guest lecture in Tokyo in November, and I want to go with her, she hasn't told me if she's decided yet. She doesn't want me to miss a whole week of school. What I really wanted to go on a dig with her, but she says that I am too young. She says I can come with her when I have my black belt in karate." Booth chuckled.

"Nice one, Bones." Brennan looked at him, with a confused expression on her face.

"Nice has nothing to do with it, Booth. I have traveled to some very dangerous places, Lucy would need to be able to defend herself if she were to accompany me on a dig."

"No, I get it. When Parker asks me about my job I tell him that we will talk about it when he has armpit hair."

Lucy laughed, "That is just gross."

Booth laughed back and took a sip from his glass, first tilting it towards Lucy in a mock salute, "Ah, but effective." Their laughter continued for another moment, bringing a wistful smile to Brennan's face. The dinner presented a very domestic scene, one that Booth obviously enjoyed. Brennan was a bit scared of enjoying it too much, but for once she managed to mask her emotions. In her experience, the happy nuclear family was just an illusion, over time it always disappeared. It was better not to get too attached, if there is no hope then there is no disappointment. Still, the dinner was pleasant enough and she was flattered when Booth had third helpings of the macaroni and cheese, although she would never admit it.

After cupcakes, Lucy went to take a bath and Brennan and Booth discussed the case. The kid, Cody, had been cooperative, but most of his info was hearsay. What was more interesting was the fact that the three remaining mechanics were not talking. They were refusing to name or describe their fired coworkers. And the techs had found evidence of shredded files, all belonging to employee records. Mr. De Niro was too ill to be questioned that day, but an agent was going to try again in the morning.

Booth knew that they were getting closer to finding the truth and was encouraged by the turn of events, despite the newest roadblocks. Brennan had scoffed at first when Booth mentioned his gut feeling. He believed that someone had taken a hit out on Joseph Wells, and the tracks that they were trying to bury had been unearthed by the FBI and the Jeffersonian. Well the Jeffersonian, anyway. And now, there was some serious covering-up going on. Booth brought Brennan around to his way of thinking by reminding her that Wells was a wealthy and powerful man, and that many of his enemies were also rich and powerful. And considering that all suspects had had alibis, a clandestine business deal that ended a man's life was a plausible explanation. He had assigned several agents to look into financial records for strange withdrawals or money transfers. Conversation about the case was then cut off when Lucy came back, her hair still damp and dressed in blue pajamas. She stifled a yawn, and addressed the two adults.

"Mom, I think I'm ready for bed, are you ready too? I've got my book, and I want you to read, FBI guy." She held out a brand new copy of the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and placed it in Booth's hands, already open to a chapter somewhere in the middle of the book. "I'm at a really good part."

Booth snickered a bit at the title. He would have thought that the Brennans were too practical for Harry Potter. "Never pegged you for a fan of the wizarding world, Bones."

"It's very popular with her classmates and while there is no basis in scientific fact in this series, I encourage Lucy to read many genres. Also, there is a firm foundation in Latin vocabulary that I feel is valuable in every child's education."

Booth stared at Brennan. Lucy realized that he needed a translation. "It's the spells and a lot of the names of people. Most of them are variations on Latin words." Booth raised an eyebrow at Brennan. Only she would look at a children's book as a way to integrate a dead language into a child's education. He found it oddly endearing, if not a little bit frightening. Lucy spoke again. "FBI guy, I want you to read it."

"You sure, Squirt? I know it's a thing with you and your mom."

"Yeah, but as they say, the more the merrier." She smiled at her mom and then Booth. He looked at Brennan, who looked as if Booth intruding on her time with Lucy was an offense punishable by the death penalty. She was caught between jealousy that her daughter wanted Booth and the desire to make her daughter happy. Eventually, Lucy's wishes prevailed and the three went into Lucy's room. Lucy immediately snuggled under the covers, placing a well worn stuffed dolphin under one arm. Once settled, Lucy patted the bed on her right side as a signal for Booth as her mother was taking her customary spot on Lucy's left side. When all three were settled on the rather crowded bed, Lucy grabbed one of her mother's hands but cuddled into Booth's side. Booth ignored the partly puzzled and partly hurt look on Brennan's face at Lucy's position and started to read.

Twenty minutes later, Booth set the book down. Both Brennans had apparently fallen asleep to the soothing tone of his voice. He was unsure how to proceed. Obviously, it was time to go home. Did he wake up Brennan, or did he just leave? Trying to decide, he turned to face the sleeping girls and gently wiped a lock of hair off of Lucy's face. He jumped slightly when one of her eyes popped open and she whispered to him. "Hey, FBI guy. Want some hot cocoa? I'm allowed to use the stove with adult supervision, last time I checked you were nearly an adult."

"Haha, very funny, Squirt." Booth whispered back. He nodded his head toward Brennan. "Shouldn't we wake your mom?"

"No, she was up all night last night working on her book. She was in the zone. Let her sleep, she can spend the night there. She has before." Quietly, the two rose from the bed, careful not to disturb Brennan. Booth covered her with a blanket from the edge of Lucy's bed, not allowing his eyes to linger over her sleeping face for too long. He flicked off the bedroom light and followed Lucy into the kitchen.

"Squirt, you sure you want hot cocoa? It's July after all. Not really hot chocolate weather."

"Yeah, it was just an excuse, really. How about chocolate milk, instead? Less clean up, too."

"Very logical," was Booth's reply. Lucy grinned as she opened the refrigerator and pulled out the milk and syrup. Booth reached into the cabinet for the biggest glasses and into a drawer for some spoons, seemingly already familiar with the Brennans' kitchen. Lucy handed her supplies to Booth as he expertly made some very chocolatey milk. They sat on the counter stools and sipped at their milk in a comfortable silence.

It was Booth that broke the silence first. "So, Squirt, can I ask you a personal question?"

She looked back at him, considering her options. "Quid pro quo. You know what that means, right?"

"Yeah, I got it." Again they sat in silence. Booth took a big swig of his milk.

"Do you ever see your dad? No one ever mentions him."

Lucy's eyes clouded slightly. She wanted to be honest with Booth, but her mother was a really private person. Her past was a closed book, even to Aunt Angela, who had at least gotten a look at the table of contents before the pages had been slammed shut. She could answer truthfully without giving too much away. She hoped.

"No, I don't see my Dad at all. He died, a long time ago." Booth had not been expecting that.

"Oh, jeez Squirt. I'm sorry. I didn't know. What happened?"

"Sorry, FBI guy. It's my turn to ask a question. Why aren't you married to Parker's mom?"

Booth took another gulp of his drink. He had asked a hard-hitting question, albeit unintentionally, it was only fair that Lucy would reciprocate. She was definitely her mother's daughter. "I wanted to, when I found out about Parker. I asked her to marry me, she said no. And now we are just friends, friends who have a son together, I just don't get to see him as much as I want to."

"Yeah, I got that. Parker spent the whole time at the park talking about how great his dad was." Booth smiled with pride. Lucy continued on. "Of course I told him how awesome my Mom is."

"Yeah, she is pretty awesome, Squirt. So what's your favorite kind of ice cream?"

"Strawberry. What's your favorite vegetable?"

"French fries." Lucy scoffed.

"Not a vegetable, try again."

"Carrots, I guess. Favorite movie?"

"Finding Nemo. Favorite cartoon character?"

"Underdog."

"Who?" Booth grimaced.

"You're killing me, Lucy. Favorite superhero?"

"That's an easy one. Wonder Woman. What's your middle name?"

"Joseph." Booth paused a beat. "It's my Dad's name." This time, both Booth and Lucy's eyes clouded. Lucy responded in a whisper.

"Really? I'm named after my Dad, too. My middle name was my Dad's last name. It's Andrews." Booth pondered that information for a minute, knowing that it was an honor that Lucy was sharing something personal with him. And then something dawned on him and he let out a chuckle. Lucy looked a bit hurt for a second until Booth explained.

"Only your Mom would name her daughter L.A.B."

"I never thought about it that way. You're right, that is totally my Mom, but I bet that she never thought of it that way either." Lucy smiled and then finished her milk. Booth drained his own glass and stretched.

"It's getting late, Squirt. I should go, and you should get to bed." Booth playfully tapped her nose and then grabbed both empty glasses and made his way into the kitchen. Lucy followed him.

"Was Parker an accident?" Booth nearly dropped the glasses, he caught them with the ends of his fingers and set them in the sink. He didn't need to look at Lucy to know that he was getting better at reading the Brennan women. When Lucy asked about Parker, she was really asking about herself. He had done enough math to know that Brennan had been very young when she had Lucy, and coupled with Brennan's single parent status, Lucy was sure to have questions. Questions that she didn't want to ask her mother, but she trusted Booth enough to ask him. It was an honor.

Booth turned to face Lucy. "Technically, it's my turn to ask a question."

"Don't use logic on me. I'm much better at it." Lucy frowned in such a Brennan-like way that Booth had to suppress yet another smile. Booth knelt in front of the girl, so that he was slightly below her eye level.

"I'm going to go with my gut here, which believe me, I am much better at using than either you or your Mom." Booth's voice was a little smug, but his tone became gentle. "I'm only going to say this once. An accident does not equal a mistake. Parker was never a mistake. You were never a mistake, Lucy." Lucy looked pensive for a moment and then smiled at this thought. Booth stood, finished rinsing the glasses and placed them in the dishwasher.

Lucy's eyes followed him as he finished the task. "You never actually answered my question, but thanks. You know, FBI guy, you are really very nice."

"Well, I try. And now, you really must get to bed. I don't need your mom on my case anymore than she already is." He picked up his scattered possessions and worked his way toward the door. "Squirt, lock me out."

She gave him a serious salute, "Yes, sir. Safety first."

Booth grimaced, "Please, don't ever call me sir again." Lucy giggled and then covered her hand with her mouth, trying to keep quiet.

"Good night, FBI guy. Drive safe." In an impulsive move, Lucy jumped into his arms and gave him a hard hug, which Booth gently returned. His throat tight, Booth set the girl down and ruffled her hair. Lucy wished him good night one more time. Booth nodded once and started to walk out the door. Lucy had put her hand on the knob, getting ready to close the door when a head popped back into the room.

"Hey, wait. One last question, you owe me. Am I Andy Lister?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Lucy giggled again and firmly closed the door. Booth waited for the click of the door locking before he walked away. Booth was lost in thought as he made his way to his SUV and drove home. It had been a rather overwhelming night for several reasons. Booth reached home and stripped off his suit, launching himself into bed. But he had a rather difficult time falling asleep that night despite the long day, he had too much to think about.

Meanwhile, Lucy had climbed back into her own bed and wiggled under the covers. In the dark, she leaned over and gave her mother a quick peck on the cheek. In her most quiet whisper, Lucy said, "I think he really likes us, Mom." Lucy tucked her toy dolphin under one arm as she turned to her side and tried to fall asleep, her conversation with Booth keeping her awake. Brennan was sleeping soundly; her only response to Lucy's comment was a quiet exhale has she too turned on her side and floated further into dreamland.


	24. Drive My Car

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Wednesday! To all of my readers living in the United States, Happy almost Thanksgiving! I think this is my longest chapter so far, hopefully that makes up for no new Bones episode this week. And to my readers who caught my typo last chapter, no good comes from editing at 1 in the morning. Oops. Thanks again for all of your reviews and alerts, I'll see you on Sunday. Enjoy.

Chapter 24: Drive My Car

July 26, 2005 10: 22 AM The Hoover Building

Brennan walked into Booth's office, fiddling with the clip on her visitor's badge that was refusing to lay flat. Booth looked up from his files and gave her one of his Boothiest smiles. Brennan failed to notice the slightly dark circles under his eyes that would betray his previous night's lack of sleep. She simply went back to adjusting the clip, annoyed that she still couldn't smooth the badge attached to her lapel.

"Mornin', Bones. Sleep well?" She looked at him with a suspicious gaze, but answered him in a fairly casual tone.

"Very well, thank you for asking. I trust that you had a good evening."

"I did, pretty excellent, actually. Just let me grab my files and we can go see those mechanics. One of the agents pulled some interesting financial records from these guys. They each deposited five thousand dollars into their checking accounts, on the same day. And get this, the deposits were made the day that Steven Wells had his press conference. Sounds like a cover-up, doesn't it?"

"I'll admit that it sounds suspicious. I'm eager to see what information we will get from questioning the mechanics." She hazarded a small smile, excited to be involved. Booth had to force himself not to look into her eyes, which he was sure were sparkling with enthusiasm. He needed to focus, so he stared at his desk and simply threw some papers into a manila folder. Taking one deep breath, Booth gathered himself.

"Look at that, Bones. We had a polite conversation and it didn't require me buying a dictionary." Booth rose from his desk and signaled for Brennan to follow him. "You know what I call this? Progress." Brennan had no response and just walked with Booth as he guided her down a hallway and into an observation room.

Three burly men sat next to each other in the interrogation room across the glass partition. They refused to converse with each other and had each picked a different spot on the wall to stare at. Booth and Brennan stood watching the men. Brennan observed for a few moments and then glanced at her watch.

"Really, Booth. Why don't we just go in and question them? Why are we still standing here?"

"It's a strategy, Bones. Let them sit, they get anxious, they talk when we finally question them. We want them to talk, don't we?" Brennan sighed.

"Aren't you tired of this Bones thing yet? It is rather unprofessional."

"Nope, not tired of it at all. And shouldn't we be focusing on the case, Dr. Brennan? Seems rather unprofessional to me to be focusing on personal conflicts while at work." Booth tapped his folder against his hand, a silly expression on his face. Brennan gave him an icy glare, but her mouth twitched, a move so small that nobody would have noticed it. Nobody, that is, except for Booth. He wisely said nothing, but made a move towards the door.

"You coming, Bones? It's go time!" He still wore his enthusiastic smile on his face.

"Do you ever speak English?"

"On Sundays and alternate Thursdays, otherwise it's just gibberish." He moved towards the door, propping it open with his free hand.

"You are so strange sometimes," Brennan mumbled.

"What do you mean I'm the strange one?" Brennan did not dignify the question with a response, she just brushed by him and exited out the door that he was holding open. Booth straightened his tie and made his way to the interrogation room, trying to control the grin on his face. Brennan followed him into the room, where they sat in chairs next to each other and across from their three witnesses.

Booth introduced himself and Brennan to the three mechanics.

"Bones, this is Lawrence, Toby, and Mitchell. They all work for Goodfellas Garage." Brennan nodded in each of their directions. The bald man in the middle stared back, a little too interested in the beautiful anthropologist. Brennan, of course, was oblivious to his attention and focused solely on the case. Booth had to suppress his protective streak, but managed to clear his throat and start the interrogation.

"Can any of you three gentlemen tell me how a Congressman's blood ended up in your garage?"

"Booth, the lab hasn't confirmed that the DNA from the blood belonged to Joseph Wells. It's not an instantaneous test. It can take days to get a confirmed result."

The bald man sitting in the middle spoke, "Well, we have no idea what you are talking about. What are we doing here? Guys, let's go." The chair made a squeaking sound as he stood to leave.

"Sit down, Curly." Booth's tone left no room for questioning, and the man settled himself once again.

Brennan turned to Booth, and in her stage whisper, questioned him.

"Booth, the man is bald, why would you call him Curly?"

"You never heard of the Three Stooges, Bones? Seriously, what planet did you grow up on?"

"Earth, of course, no other planet in this solar system can support life."

The man that Booth had secretly dubbed Moe spoke up now, "Is this chick for real?"

"Yes, she is. You be quiet too. Let's focus, here. We have reason to believe that a murder occurred at your place of employment on April 29th. Can you tell me where you guys were on that night?"

"Umm, how are we supposed to know what we were doing then? That was forever ago."

Brennan clarified, "It was a Friday night, does that help?"

"Well, if it was a Friday night, we were at the bar. Always something going on. Maybe a Nat's game, maybe some hockey or basketball. We down a few beers," Curly started.

Moe jumped in, "More than a few probably. My wife had to come pick me up, I was way too hammered to drive home. She was not happy. I remember it was the last Friday in April, cause she told me that I wasn't touching her for a month, and I slept in the guest room the whole month of May."

The third stooge, the one named Lawrence, who coincidentally went by Larry, finally spoke. "Well, I'm surprised she didn't divorce you. You were making out with Wendy the bartender when your wife came in to pick you up."

Moe grimaced, "Oh God, no wonder she was so pissed at me. Honestly, that night was a blur. I told you to keep me away from the Irish Car Bombs, no good can come from that."

Booth knew they were straying off topic, and had to refocus the interview, "So none of you were at the garage that night."

Curly piped in, "Hell no. That place is a dump, we were barely keeping afloat. Mr. De Niro is a jerk. It was work, work, work. But he didn't give us a dime of overtime. You punch out when your shift is over, or he'd doc you. Tight-fisted sonuvabitch. I had the weekend off. I came in on Monday and everything had been scrubbed down and cleaned up and then Mr. De Niro walked in, told me that Buddy and Sonny were fired."

"Toby, shut the hell up." Larry panicked. Even Brennan couldn't miss the slip that Toby had made, but it was Booth that spoke first.

"Whoa, Buddy and Sonny would be the men that Cody mentioned. They were fired for breaking into the garage. De Niro walked in on them acting suspicious and kicked them out. He didn't know that they were trying to clean up a crime scene. Why don't you start by telling me their real names. It seems that some very critical files have disappeared from your employer's office."

Moe spoke up, "I want a lawyer. I'm not saying another word."

Brennan glanced at Booth, he gave her the go ahead nod. "Could your refusal to cooperate with law enforcement have something to do with the five thousand dollars that appeared in your bank account on Friday afternoon?"

Moe focused on a spot on the wall, refusing to make eye contact with Brennan and refusing to acknowledge the agent at all.

Curly leaned towards Brennan, a leer on his face. Booth tensed, ready to pounce if he made any sort of threat against the scientist.

"Look, a man came into the garage on Friday. Caught the three of us by surprise, had a gun and everything. The kid was out getting our lunches, never saw nothing. Anyway, this guy, he told us to take the money and shut up if anyone ever came and asked us questions. Told us that we would get in over our heads if we talked to the police. He said that he knew bad people, who could make bad things happen. We all have families, we needed money. And honestly, I didn't think that anyone would ever come by asking anything, we had no idea what he was even talking about."

Booth interjected, "What he was talking about was the murder of a Congressman and its cover-up!"

The witness continued, "How were we supposed to know what that guy was talking about? And if something happened at the garage in April, it took till July for anyone to find anything. Whoever this guy was, he knew that the feds were on his trail, and he wanted us out of the way. What could even be at that dump after all of this time, anyway?"

Brennan had started to list all of the forensic evidence that had been found at the garage, but Booth cut her off and turned back to the bald man in the middle, staring him down until the man began to speak again. "Last night you sent two officers to my house and told me that I was wanted for questioning at the FBI, that they would come and pick me up in the morning, telling me not to leave town. And then, I wake up this morning with a note nailed to my door. It scared the crap out of my son when he went to grab the paper for me. It was a warning, and a threat, and it's enough to get me to keep my mouth shut. My ex-wife and I are already going through a nasty custody battle, I don't need this coming out. I already have to explain why two guys in uniform hauled me into the back of a squad car in front of my three kids."

Brennan considered this information, but focused on the piece of evidence that could give them more clues. "Do you still have the note?"

"No, I threw it away. Told my son that it was just Larry, playing a joke. The kid is seven years old, he doesn't need to know about this."

Larry spoke up, "I got a note, too. Threatened my wife and my mother. Mitch did you get one?"

The third mechanic continued to stare at his preferred spot on the wall, but he nodded ever so slightly. And then closed his eyes, as if he had just screwed up by admitting that he had found a letter nailed to his door. "Told me that the cops had Cody, and if anyone squealed, my daughters would be the next ones squealing, and then my wife. I don't know what the hell is going on here, I just want it to be over. You can take the money, but I'm not telling you anything else. Can I go? I'm a little antsy being away from my family."

At that moment Agent Ryan Stuart knocked on the door and asked for a private moment with Booth. They were only gone a moment, but when Booth re-entered the room, Brennan was shocked by his expression. She had never seen the man look so agitated.

Booth spoke, his voice carefully measured. "Just so you guys know, your boss is in a coma. He isn't expected to regain consciousness. Someone disabled the security cameras at his nursing home and poisoned him last night. They think the same chemical could have caused his first heart attack. If you three know anything about this, I promise you will never see the light of day again, except from a jail cell."

Curly spoke, "Look, I swear, I know nothing about that. He was a lousy boss, but we wouldn't want the guy dead. We at least had jobs under him. But whoever you are looking for knows that we are here, and knows that De Niro knew something. And whoever is doing this, they are using him as an example. We say anything, and those guys come after us."

Booth ruffled his hair and growled, "Look, just tell us what we want to know. We can protect you and your families. Tell me about Buddy and Sonny, and your mystery blackmailer."

Booth sighed. The men had each gone back to their spots on the wall. These men weren't going to say anything else, they had already given too much away. "OK, I'll let you guys go. I'll even contact your local officers, keep an eye on your families. If you think of anything that you want to share, please let us know. I'm turning over the financial records. No promises that you won't be charged with anything, if a lawyer can make it stick."

Booth made a dismissive gesture with his hands and the three men stood to go. Booth remained sitting, resting his head on one hand. He really hated this case. The only thing that was good about it was sitting next to him. He felt a warm palm on his shoulder.

"Booth, we're getting closer. Those men were scared, someone threatened their families. But we will find out who did this. There are still many leads to chase down. Don't give up, please."

Booth shifted his head so that it faced Brennan, "You know, Temperance. I would never have pegged you as an optimist."

"It's not optimism, it's confidence. My team is the best in the world, And you are a..." But she was cut off by the ringing of his cell phone. Booth answered, and was on the phone for less than a minute, but his countenance had changed for the better by the time he hung up. Brennan was confused by the sudden change in expression. In part it was because of the news that he had, and in part it was because of the confidence that Bones had in him, even though she never explicitly said what she was thinking. He flashed a Boothy smile and made his was out of the interrogation room. When she didn't immediately follow, still confused, he popped back into the room and waved her towards him.

"Bones! Linda Wells is back in town, and she's agreed to come into the Hoover, this afternoon. And get this, six months ago, she got her car repaired at Goodfellas, found it charged on a credit card. And she lives sixty miles from that place. Also, Charlie says that she withdraws at least three thousand dollars a month from her checking account. No clue where it goes. At least something to pursue while my guys investigate the garage, the mechanics, the money trail, and put those shredded files back together." He impulsively hugged her, giving her a single squeeze. He let go before she could react, and seemed completely unaware that he had even initiated the physical contact. She looked at him thoughtfully, compartmentalizing the brief feeling of warmth.

"That is good news, Booth. It is important to learn all of the facts before drawing conclusions." They silently walked down the hallway and had nearly reached Booth's office when he stopped and turned towards Brennan.

"Let's grab some lunch. I'm starving, and I'm not eating another one of those crap sandwiches they serve at the deli."

"Booth, we really should be focusing on the case." He cut her off, dangling his keys in front of her face.

"I'll let you drive." She snatched them out of his hand and brushed past him.

"Let's go." The expression on her face made his heart beat just a little bit faster as he chased her down the hallway towards the parking garage. He decided that maybe he should let her drive more often if she was going to look at him like that.


	25. All Things Must Pass

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Sunday everyone. Not much to stay here, a little more case and I'll be curious to see who saw this coming. Hopefully, I've managed to keep a little mystery going. I've never written any case fics before this, so your feedback is important. Your reviews have all been so wonderful and once again I thank you for them. See you Wednesday and Enjoy!

Chapter 25: All Things Must Pass

July 26, 2005 2:46 PM The Hoover Building

Booth and Brennan had a pleasant, but hasty lunch. Booth had tried small talk, but Brennan had focused entirely on the case. It would be lying to say that he wasn't a little disappointed by her focus. She had let him pay for lunch only on the condition that she pay for their next meal. They made their way back to the Hoover, Brennan still smugly driving his SUV. They had arrived back at the Hoover and Booth had made good on his promise to have the mechanics' houses put under surveillance, throwing a detail on the kid Cody as well. He had sent techs to investigate the nursing home where De Niro was likely dying. The two had then tackled some paperwork until word reached Booth that Mrs. Wells was in the building.

They were walking down the hallway to meet Linda Wells when Brennan spoke, "I know this sounds irrational, but I feel like we're are getting closer to solving this case." Booth smiled at her.

"Don't count your chickens, Bones. They haven't hatched yet, but its possible that Linda is involved somehow. I just don't see a motive. She has all the money she wants, and power, what would she have against her brother-in-law?"

"I don't know, Booth. I'm not very good with understanding motives. But I'm making an effort."

"I know. It one of the things I like about you. You keep on trying." Brennan froze. Booth's hand had been guiding her, so he stopped when she did.

"What did you say?" Brennan remained stiff as a statue.

"All I said is that you keep on trying. I like that about you." He gently pressed against her back to get her moving again. They were near the bullpen and he didn't need any more fodder for the rumor mill, but she stayed rooted to the spot. She was lost in the past, thinking of her father, and the tune that he used to sing to her when he came home at night. She hadn't thought of the song in years.

"Bones, are you all right?" Booth's hand was waving in front of her face now and she was pulled back to the present. Finally, she stepped forward, and continued down the hallway.

"Yes, I'm sorry. It's just that you reminded me of something."

"Care to elaborate?"

"It isn't relevant to the case. I'm sorry that I got distracted. I will be able to properly focus during our interrogation, so let's continue on our way."

"You sure that you're OK, Temperance? We have a few minutes. We can talk in my office if you want."

"No, that's not necessary. But thank you for the offer." She attempted a smile that did not reach her eyes, but Booth dropped the subject. They had reached the interrogation room where Linda sat in an elegant blazer, a skirt, and a pair of shoes that cost more than a month's rent for Booth's apartment. She sat stiffly, her expression bored as she rhythmically clicked her well-manicured nails on the metal table.

Booth and Brennan took their seats, while making introductions. Linda spoke first.

"My husband said that you wanted to see me. I don't know why. I've already talked to a dozen of you agents. And you all ask the same thing. I don't know anything about the death of Joe."

Booth started his questioning, "Mrs. Wells, what can you tell me about your interaction with Goodfellas Garage?"

She looked confused. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Six months ago, you took your car to be fixed at a garage 60 miles from your home. This garage is the exact place where your brother-in-law was murdered three months later, almost to the day." He sent a quick glance over to Brennan, warning her to stay silent. The evidence was still circumstantial, but forensics would corroborate the story soon enough.

"Oh that dump. I'd forgotten all about it. I was visiting a friend in Charlottesville when my car started making a horrible noise and the engine light turned on. I remembered someone mentioning the place once, so I used the GPS to take the car there. They fixed the car, but they scratched the side of it, too. I had to have the dealer back home fix it later. I was just glad that my car made it home in one piece after those grease monkeys touched it. I haven't been in the area since then."

Brennan finally spoke, "It seems a little unusual that you seem to care more about your car than the fact that this could be where Joseph was murdered." Linda looked slightly concerned and then the mask of cool indifference took over her face again.

"I don't believe it, it's all coincidence. I mean seriously, how did Joe end up there anyway? He doesn't live anywhere near there."

Booth made a face. "There is no coincidence in a murder investigation, Mrs. Wells."

Brennan looked at him, "Actually, coincidence is very possible in a murder..." She was able to read the look of frustration on his face and cut herself off with a mumbled, "sorry." Booth continued to question Linda.

"How do you explain over twenty thousand dollars in withdrawals in the past year in your account, and over thirty grand from 2004?"

Her voice had taken on an indifferent tone. "Do you know how much Prada costs, Agent Booth?" He shook his head as she continued, "What about Coach, Gucci, Manolo Blahnik's, Jimmy Choo's? So I like to pay cash, so what?"

"Do you use any of that cash at the spa?"

"Of course, I tip well so I get treated like royalty. Is it wrong to want to feel special?" Booth's eyebrows raised. He was following a hunch.

"So you don't feel special at home? Do you go shopping and take ridiculous trips to a spa in order to fill some hole in your life?"

Her voice lost some of its coolness as she spoke. "That is none of your business, Agent Booth. I was under the impression that I came here to talk about Joe. I'll tell you what I told every other agent. Everybody loved him. He was God's gift to the 5th district, and he was going to be God's gift to the United States of America. He was JFK and FDR and Lincoln all rolled into one. The Great American Hero. And I don't know why anyone would want to kill him." At this point her voice dripped with a sarcasm so intense, that even Brennan could sense the emotion.

Booth pressed, "Jealous much? Joe was more popular than Steve? He was going to get farther, and your husband's and by extension your career was going to suffer? Joe was a hurdle that you had to jump over in order to make sure that Steve was top dog? Is that why you wanted your brother-in-law dead?"

Linda jumped from her seat and started to pace in the small room. She was clearly agitated, but she was still talking. "It wasn't at all like that. I don't care if Joe became King of the Universe. He could do whatever he wanted to in life. What I hated was that he dragged my husband into it. Steven promised me that after we were married that we would move back home to California, it was a condition of my saying yes to his proposal. He even took the bar there. And then he kept putting it off, trying to establish himself in his career so that he could be competitive at the best firms when we moved. And then Joe runs for Congress and gets elected. Tells Steve that he is only a district over, he can run for his own seat. And the bastard does it. And then they started making other plans, for a Senate seat, for a Governor's chair, and I knew that I was never going to get to go back home. As a compromise, Steve gave me money. Tried to buy my happiness. That's it. I'm trapped here in God-forsaken Virginia, but I can go to the spa whenever I want, and fly first-class, and be the best dressed political wife since Jackie O."

Brennan turned to Booth, "So, she could logically blame Joseph for Steven breaking a promise to her. She could have paid those two mechanics to kill her brother-in-law. She had plenty of access to cash and it sounds to me like she has motive."

"We'll make a cop out of you yet, Bones. Sounds plausible to me." Booth beamed at her.

Linda became even more defensive, "I'd never do a thing like that. I'd never hurt Joe. Steven was the weak one, always trying to live up to Joe's achievements and always failing. But you won't believe me anyway. I may never have finished law school, but I know enough. We're done here." She made her way towards the door, her heels strangely silent on the floor. She had almost exited when Brennan's sharp eyes noticed something.

"Booth." Brennan called softly to him, and pointed one finger at the back of Linda's jacket.

Booth followed her pointed finger, stuck to her navy blazer was a single grey hair, of medium length. Hair that definitely did not match the red tresses on Linda's head. But a hair that perfectly matched one that Hodgins had mentioned the day before. A clear forensic link between Linda, Joseph, and Joseph's potential murderer.

Booth stopped Linda. "Mrs. Wells, I'm afraid that I am going to have to take your jacket as evidence."

"What are you talking about?"

Brennan stepped in, "Mrs. Wells, attached to your jacket is a hair that may match a hair found on your brother-in-law's body."

Linda stammered, "I haven't worn this blazer in months. It's been sitting in my closet forever, last time I wore it was at a luncheon attended by two hundred people. That hair could have come from anywhere."

But Brennan was snapping on a pair of gloves that she always carried with her, and had plucked the hair from the back of the jacket, placing it in a small vial that she plucked from her pocket. Booth was glad for her dedication to her job, amused that she carried such supplies on her person at all times, as he moved to block the door.

"Mrs. Wells, we aren't done here. You aren't telling us something. If you cooperate now, it's going to be much better than us finding out on our own. If that hair matches the one found on Joseph Wells' body, you are going to rot in a jail cell. There is no Prada in prison. Now tell us, did you take a contract out on your own brother-in-law?"

Linda glared at Booth, and finally broke. "I never wanted Joe dead. It was Steve I wanted to get rid of." She clapped her hands over her mouth. She stared in horror at the agent and the scientist and then moved back to a chair and sank into it, resigned. "I asked Steve for a divorce a year before his election. I knew he was going to stay in Virginia and I wanted out. He refused, he didn't want me to ruin his political career before it even got off the ground. I was a fool, so I stayed. We tried counseling, it had helped Sharon and Joe, but it did nothing for us. The February after he was inaugurated, I asked him again. He told me no. So I went to California for a month, then he told me to come back to Virginia. He didn't need a haze of scandal so early in his administration he said. He told me that I could have whatever I wanted, do whatever I wanted as long as I appeared to be a dutiful wife and mother."

Brennan interjected, projecting her own feelings about being a mother onto Linda, "What did your daughter think about all of this?"

Linda sighed, "I never wanted kids. I got pregnant and Steven and I decided to get married. We just went to a courthouse and that was that. I may not be the best mother, but Skylar was always a happy child. She spent a lot of time with Joe and Sharon. They were better parents than Steve or I. She has her own room at their house. I think she likes them better than me." Brennan looked at Linda with disgust and Booth could see the wheels spinning in her head.

Booth brought the conversation back to its most relevant point. "So you paid two mechanics at Goodfellas to kill your husband?"

"No, no, that was a coincidence, I swear. After the third time I asked Steve for a divorce which he refused, I began having an affair. Well, affairs. I told one man how much I wanted to get rid of my husband. He told me that he knew some people. All it would take was cash, and no one would ever know. He promised me the perfect crime. He told me that I could go back home to California, that I'd never have to come back to Virginia again. I was so desperate, I gave him ten thousand dollars and he told me that it would be taken care of. He told me to lay low, and it would all be over before I knew it. And then one night, Joe disappeared. They are twins, they were at the same charity event, and whoever was supposed to commit that perfect crime, they messed up. I didn't know that they would screw up and take Joe. I swear it. I never wanted Joe dead, I just wanted to be free." Tears smeared her mascara and her carefully styled hair was now a mess.

Linda did not struggle as Booth began to handcuff her. His face and Brennan's were mirror images of astonishment, triumph and disgust. "Tell me, Linda. Who did you pay to kill your husband? Who killed Joseph?"

Linda stiffened, "I can't tell you. He's a dangerous man. I mean, he helped me plot to kill my husband. He told me if I told anyone, that I was as good as dead. Last time I talked to him, he told me that I'd be going back to California in a pine box. You don't know what he is capable of."

"It's only a matter of time before we find out." Brennan pointed out.

"Well you won't find out from me. I want a lawyer. I'm not saying another word."

Booth led Linda out of the room, "Fair enough. But we've gotten this far. It all comes out in the end." He gave an encouraging smile to Brennan as he led Linda towards booking.


	26. I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Wednesday! I think that the next chapter is one that everyone has been waiting for, but this one is still pretty good, I hope. I know that I am woefully behind on review responses, but know that all responses and alerts make me very excited. Enjoy.

Chapter 26: I Don't Want to Spoil the Party

July 26, 2005 5:17 PM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth flipped his lucky poker chip trying to not appear disturbed by the nagging feeling that they were still missing something. Yes, Linda had confessed, but she had lawyered up, and wasn't admitting to who she had actually paid to take a failed hit out on her husband. Something was off, but the rest of the team seemed thrilled at the confession, and he didn't want to take the euphoria away from them. Booth had followed Brennan back to the Jeffersonian, wanting to share the information with the team, and there was nothing else he could realistically do tonight, except for paperwork. In celebration, Hodgins had broken out some moonshine from a secreted corner, and they had toasted to the confession. Booth waved off Hodgins refill offer, as he coughed through the burning sensation that the alcohol had left in his throat. Brennan had sipped at her glass, once, and then discreetly set it aside as she recounted her afternoon at the Hoover to her colleagues.

Lucy had been dropped off after spending the day with her best friend, Madison, and had joined the group in celebration. Angela had even cracked open a bottle of sparkling grape juice, so that Lucy wouldn't feel left out. The girl still wasn't privy to all of the details, but she could appreciate the team effort. She sipped the bubbly drink from a beaker and watched the group. She noticed that Hodgins had settled himself next to Angela on the couch and was toying with her hair, whenever he thought that nobody else would notice. She only brushed his hand away after she caught Lucy's wink in her direction. In his socially ignorant way, Zack had filled the last remaining seat on the couch and was reading an engineering journal, oblivious to the partying.

Lucy then turned her focus to her mother and Booth. They were sitting at opposite ends of the lounge, in chairs where they were facing each other, separated by a coffee table. Lucy briefly wished that they were sitting next to each other, that it was Booth running his fingers through her mother's hair instead of Hodgins flirting with Angela. But as she looked at Booth, she was satisfied with what she saw. His eyes rarely left Brennan's face, and occasionally their eyes would meet, and they looked as if they were having a silent conversation, and they were the only two people in the world. Lucy noticed that her mother's eyes were sparkling and that her face had a hint of blush to it. At one point Angela's gaze also fell on Booth's face and then she turned to Lucy and gave a thumb's up. Lucy grinned back and joined back in the conversation that was now flowing around her.

Eventually, Zack and Hodgins drifted away muttering something about a beetle rematch. Lucy rolled her eyes. She was undefeated in beetle racing and they were sore losers at this point. At a dollar a match, Hodgins had once told her that he was going to end up paying her college tuition, he could well afford it, but Lucy was unaware of that fact. She tried not to be insulted by the lack of invitation, and soon realized that the scientists had done her a favor. When the two men left, Lucy had joined Angela on the couch, which was more comfortable than the metal chair she was sitting in. She relaxed onto the sofa as Angela slipped an arm around her shoulder. She wouldn't have left the current group for anything. The foursome kept the conversation going, and then fell into a quiet lull, until Booth broke the silence.

"So, Bones. What do you say that I take you out for a celebration dinner?" He realized that he had alienated the two other females in his presence and back-pedaled. "I mean, Angela, Squirt, we could all go. It'd be fun." Brennan looked slightly sad as she responded.

"Thank you for the invitation, Booth, but Lucy, Angela and I already have plans. Tomorrow is Lucy's birthday and we were going to bake her a cake tonight. Well attempt it anyway, I'm not very adept at baking."

Booth chuckled, "Good to know that you have some weaknesses. How about a rain check then?"

"I don't know what that means." Angela poked Lucy, but Lucy had not needed the nudge. It was the time for a little matchmaking.

"Mom it's OK. We can go home now. Aunt Angela and I can bake the cake while you get ready, and you can still meet up with FBI guy for dinner. You should go, have fun. You never go out, you should celebrate. Tomorrow is all about me, tonight can be about you and Agent Booth." Lucy smirked as Booth's cheeks stained a reddish color. That girl definitely spent too much time with Angela.

Angela echoed the sentiment, wearing an identical expression as her honorary niece. She would be happy to watch Lucy while Booth and Brennan had dinner. She and Lucy were trying to contain their disappointment as Brennan shook her head.

"Lucy, I promised to help you with your cake. I don't break my promises, especially to you."

Lucy turned to Booth, nudging him with the nodding of her head towards Brennan. Now was the time to start pressing. Usually at this point the FBI had already blown the Jeffersonian off and found a new agent to liaise with Brennan. Booth showed no signs of abandoning this newly formed team. Despite the arguments, the near firings, and the wasted interrogations, Booth was still there. And he wanted to take Brennan out to dinner.

"Please, Bones. I'm begging you. One dinner, if you have a lousy time, I'll leave you alone." He tried to keep his tone playful, but Lucy could see the genuine interest in his eyes. Angela had also picked up on his emotions.

"Go on, Sweetie. Squirt and I can take care of ourselves for the evening, right?"

"Ange, don't you start with the Squirt thing, too."

"Eh, it's growing on me." Angela grinned at Brennan, who looked annoyed and defeated.

"Fine, fine. Booth, I'll be ready in an hour. Where can I meet you?"

"Eh, I'll pick you up at your place. See you in an hour." He bolted from the room before Brennan could change her mind. He couldn't help whistling the entire way to his car, flipping his poker chip as he went.

Lucy had followed him with his eyes as he exited the room and then clapped her hands in excitement. "I'll be ready to go in two minutes, Mom. I left my bag in your office. Come on, we've gotta go. You need time to get ready for tonight." And with those sentiments, she too exited the room, skipping the entire way. It was now Angela and Brennan alone in the lounge, Angela once again looking like the Cheshire Cat, and Brennan looking slightly lost. Brennan started to follow her daughter, when Angela grabbed her arm.

"Sweetie, hold on one second. There is something I should tell you. I had a talk with Lucy the other day. It was kind of important and I think that you should know about it."

Brennan noted the rare serious tone in her friend's voice and she focused on Angela's face.

"Is something wrong?" Brennan's tone was calm, but Angela could sense the panic behind it.

"Not really wrong, but Lucy seemed a little down, and she came to talk to me about it. Sweetie, what do you really think of Booth?"

"Let's not talk about Booth right now. It's been a long day. And apparently, I need to go home and get changed."

"It's kind of what the talk was about. Lucy really likes him." Angela paused. She was pushing, she knew it, "Do you like him?"

"Booth is a perfectly capable agent and he has been an excellent resource during this case. It was why I agreed to go out to dinner with him this evening, at your urging, might I add."

"OK, that's a start, but that is not at all what I meant. I mean, do you like him, like him?"

"I don't know what you mean." Angela sighed, and switched tactics, slightly.

"Do you think that he is handsome?" Brennan thought carefully before answering. She did not like where this particular conversation was heading.

"Yes, his face has a pleasing symmetry and I appreciate the breadth of his shoulders. But his appearance is not correlated with his personality. Why would I make judgement on someone's appearance?"

Angela huffed in exasperation, "I know you don't judge people based on what they look like. I've seen how Zack dresses. But, Sweetie, what I'm really trying to ask you about is do you think that you would like to go out on a date with Booth? This could totally be a date, if you wanted it to be."

Brennan had no response for it. She was a healthy, attractive, available woman. And Booth was a healthy, attractive, available man. She would be lying if she hadn't considered the possibilities. However, she just started to walk to her office. Angela stopped her again, with gentle pressure of her hand on Brennan's arm.

"Sweetie, why won't you give him a chance? He likes you, he already loves Lucy, he's great looking, and an all around good guy."

"Ange, we work together. This is just something that colleagues do. See each other in social settings. We do it all the time."

"Oh, Bren. Sometimes, I just want to shake you. Just promise me that you will give it a chance. Just pretend that it's a date. Tell him something about yourself, smile at him. Ask the waitress for one milkshake with two straws. Let him pay the bill, let him put his jacket around your shoulders when he walks you to the car, and then let him kiss you when he walks you to the door. It's not hard." Brennan stared at her best friend. She had never been on a date that resembled Angela's scenario. Not even close. Besides, Booth had picked up the tab for lunch.

"Well, its my turn to pay." Angela looked back at Brennan, with one eyebrow raised.

"I don't know what that means. But Sweetie, just promise me that you will relax and have a nice night. At least give me that."

Brennan sighed. "Yes, I can do that."

"And if it more happens, you will let it happen?" Angela asked hopefully, but she never got an answer. Lucy came back, still skipping, carrying her own backpack as well as Brennan's bag and Angela's purse. Lucy was speaking so fast, that they just stared at her, until she came over to the both of them and started dragging them towards the door.

"Come on, Mom. He's going to pick you up in fifty-five minutes. And I've decided that you should wear that dress that we bought the last time the three of us went shopping. You've never worn it, and it's so pretty. Come on Aunt Angela, let's go bake me a cake! Fifty-four minutes, come on. We're running out of time. Let's go."

Angela and Brennan had no choice but to follow the girl out of the lounge and towards the Brennans' apartment.


	27. Do You Want to Know a Secret

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Friday! This chapter has been ready to go for a long time and I decided that everyone has been patient enough. I am really nervous about this chapter, because expectations are so high. I hope that you you guys are still with me after this chapter. Let's just say that a date with Temperance Brennan isn't going to go as you would expect. See you Sunday.

Side Note: Anyone else going to go crazy waiting for 'The Doctor in the Photo?'

Chapter 27: Do You Want to Know a Secret

July 26, 2005 8:02 PM La Tomate Italian Bistro

Booth had picked up Dr. Brennan on time and had been absurdly pleased that when he arrived she was wearing a deep blue dress. He had stammered a greeting and Angela and Lucy had had to cover their mouths to keep the giggles from escaping. Booth's stomach rumbled and the group took it was a sign that it was dinner time. Booth took Brennan to a dimly lit Italian Bistro that he enjoyed. He didn't bother to mention that he usually enjoyed this place with a date, he didn't need to scare her off. He had managed to make a reservation and they were seated quickly. The two ordered their meals and a bottle of red wine to split. They sat awkwardly for a moment, trying to start the conversation. Flashing back to Georgie's place, and their first real meal together, he opened with the same line.

"So tell me about yourself." Booth said casually as he took a sip of water.

"I got pregnant at 19." Booth choked, and coughed into a napkin for a full thirty seconds. Meals with Temperance Brennan were always interesting, if nothing else.

"Whoa, I was thinking favorite color, types of music that you like."

"Well, Angela said that I should share some information with you while we had dinner. She thinks that this is a date." They both were now at Georgie's restaurant and tried to ignore the awkwardness that the memory brought up. Booth nervously sipped his water again.

"Uh, right, this is not a date. Just two friends, co-workers celebrating clearing a case. Well almost."

"Right. I just wanted to explain some things. You remember the day at the zoo?"

"You are going to explain the snake thing to me." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I decided that I want you to know." Booth knew what a measure of trust that she was placing in him. He figured that few people had heard this story. He was willing to bet his entire salary on the fact that no other FBI agent had heard anything this personal from her.

Brennan was speaking again, and he focused on her. "I suppose I should explain a bit of my past. My parents abandoned my brother and I when I was fifteen years old. My brother, Russ, was nineteen and he couldn't handle the responsibility and left shortly after them. I don't know what happened to my parents, and I haven't heard from my brother in years. Well, that's not entirely true. He calls every year on my birthday, but I don't… I can't pick up the phone. Lucy thinks that I am being unfair to him, but I'm just not ready." She had paused, and Booth felt like he should respond. She had obviously been deeply hurt by her family's abandonment.

"I don't know what to tell you. It is a lot to deal with, you will pick up when you're ready." She seemed to ignore his comment and continued on.

"I just..." She was unable to finish whatever that particular thought was. She took another deep breath, "I went into the foster system. I had a rough time; I was in some bad places. Like Lucy, I had skipped a grade when I was young, so I finished high school at seventeen. I was able to get a partial scholarship to Northwestern. I became emancipated, found some loan money and started school. I focused completely on my academics, I had no time or desire for a social life. But I met one person who I became fairly close to. He was my TA, a graduate student in anthropology, his name was Thomas Andrews." Booth swallowed, but she didn't notice and continued her story.

"It didn't help me make any friends in my classes. I did exceptionally well, and some other students thought that I was sleeping with him in order to get the grades I got, but it was a platonic relationship. He was kind to me, he didn't pry into my personal life, he just encouraged my academics. He was a few years older than me. I suppose that I thought of him as a surrogate brother, I was his little sister."

They were interrupted by the arrival of the food. She accepted some fresh Parmesan on her pasta as if they had just been talking about the weather, and once again he was shocked at her ability to compartmentalize. The waiter left, and they started to eat. She seemed determined to tell him the entire story, and he picked at his food while she spoke. He wasn't feeling very hungry right now.

"The year ended and he was no longer my TA. We remained friends and in my second year at school, in October they announced a huge find in South America. He was chosen to go on the research team. He was going to use the findings in his thesis. He was going to leave right after Thanksgiving for several months. And I slept with him, Thanksgiving night. I don't really know why. He had skipped Thanksgiving dinner with his family in order to keep me company, because I had no where else to go, and I didn't really want to be around strangers. And he told me that he had always liked me, but he didn't know how to tell me, because first I was his student, and then I was his friend. I figured he was going away, and I would be lonely, and I just wanted to feel like a normal person for one night, not this emotionally distant…"

Her voice trailed off. Some things were still too personal to share, even with Booth. Booth exhaled a shaky breath. When she opened up, she really opened up. He wanted to be supportive so he gave an encouraging nod.

"It was uncomfortable, but he was kind, and it was a nice way to say goodbye. I wasn't on birth control and the condom broke." Booth became squeamish. She really did not have a way with tact, or censoring her speech. He still did not comment, and Brennan went on. "He was very apologetic, and I told him not to worry, that I would be fine. That the chances of any negative consequences would be slim, and he assured me that he had a clean bill of health. Statistically speaking, we didn't have to worry. He left for Rio two days later."

"I found out that I was pregnant six weeks later. I was in denial before that. I didn't know how to tell him, and just decided to wait a little while. Give myself time to figure things out. Communication was patchy at best, anyway, and I didn't want to distract him. His work was very important and I didn't want to interfere with his studies. I didn't think that I needed him. And then two months into the spring term, I overheard some faculty talking, about him. The entire department knew within the day, he had been bitten by a highly poisonous snake while in Brazil, and he had an allergic reaction to the antivenin. Everything that could go wrong did, and he was gone. He never knew that he was going to be a father. I had a tremendous amount of guilt. What if I had told him? He may have come back to Chicago. He may never have been bitten, may not have died. I still feel that it was my fault in some ways. I was never going to marry him, but I had already lost my family, and my baby wasn't going to even have a chance at having one."

Booth wanted to tell her that she had given Lucy a wonderful family, but the words were stuck in his throat. Once again, Brennan continued without interruption.

"He was from a suburb of Chicago, and I went to his funeral. I sat in the back. I didn't know what else to do. I never told anyone that he was the father of my baby, some of my fellow students or the professors may have suspected, but they were used to not talking to me, and I was used to not sharing with them. When I was seven months pregnant, I went to his parents' house. I thought that his family might want to know. Since I had turned 18, I had a modest trust fund that my parents had set up long before they disappeared. I didn't need the Andrews' money, but I wanted my child to have a family if they were interested. They weren't. His mother was the only one home. She barely listened to what I had to say, called me a liar and told me that I'd never get a penny of Tom's money. She then asked me to leave and not come back. I never heard from them again although I send a card once a year with Lucy's picture just in case they want to know anything about her."

Booth reached across the table and laid one of his hands on hers. She did not draw away. Instead she gave a soft smile to Booth. He gave her a gentle tap and went back to picking at his dinner.

"Something unexpected happened when I got back to school from Tom's parents. I took a walk through a park in Evanston. Just trying to think about what I was going to do. For some reason I felt like crying so I sat on a bench and cried." Booth had to suppress a chuckle. It wasn't the time to laugh at her, but only Temperance Brennan could describe a justified emotional breakdown with such detachment. But Brennan was still speaking, "Then this girl, about my age came up to me."

"Angela." He guessed, and she nodded.

"Yes, Angela. She called it fate, later. Ridiculous notion. Anyway, she had just graduated high school and had deferred her education for a year. She had been in New York City, when she met a boy who was on vacation with some friends. She had followed him back to Chicago."

"So she's always been a little crazy?"

"She has no documented mental health issues, but metaphorically..." He grinned at her. "Yes. Her father is rather famous and fairly eccentric. He gave her money to see the world for a year before going to college. She sat down on the bench next to me and started a conversation. She was very kind to me, and I don't know why, but I invited her to my apartment to spend the night, as things with the boy from New York did not work out as planned. She stayed for a week before she made a proposal. She had a year free, and I was alone and was going to need help with the baby. In exchange for a spot on the couch for a year, she would baby sit when I was in class. She was going to work on her art, so if I didn't mind using some of my apartment space for her studio she would stay in Chicago for a year. It was a crazy plan, it made no logical sense that someone that I had known for a week would be willing to give up their life for a year to help out a single, teenage mother."

"But you accepted." He had liked Angela since he had first met her, but Booth now felt a rush of gratitude for the free-spirited artist. She had done so much for Brennan and for Lucy, he would be forever thankful.

"I did, and we have been friends ever since. Lucy arrived early and Angela was by my side the entire time. I was able to start my final year of undergraduate work on time. I had overloaded every semester since my freshman year so that I would be done in three years. I don't know what I would have done without her that year. She was amazing. After I graduated, she had to go back to Texas for school, but we spent holidays together. I don't really celebrate them, but Angela does and she insists that I at least make an effort for Lucy's sake. So Lucy and I would go down to Texas for Christmas; she would come up for Thanksgiving. And in the summers, I would go on digs for my studies, and Angela would care for Lucy. She was the only person I could trust to take care of her when I was away."

Booth could tell that she was nearing the end of her story.

"I got my Ph.D. in anthropology from Northwestern and then I applied for an internship at the Jeffersonian. I needed more training, so I got my second degree in forensic anthropology through American University while working at the Jeffersonian. Angela moved to D.C. a few years after me, after finishing school. She was always painting Lucy when we visited each other, sometimes Lucy and I together, and I was always impressed with her underlying knowledge of bone structure, I suggested that she take some classes in Bio-medical drawing at American. She took a few classes while trying to support herself with her own artwork. When we had an opening for a forensic artist, I got her the job. Two years ago, I got my board certification in forensic anthropology, was promoted to the job that I have today and I think you know the rest of the story."

Brennan was now silent. She looked up at him expectantly. Booth found himself unable to make eye contact immediately. He looked around. He realized that at some point during her tale, the plates had been cleared away. His wine glass had been drained, but he couldn't remember taking even a sip. She was waiting for a response; he had to give her one. He cleared his throat, trying to ease the tightness that had settled there.

"Thank you for trusting me with this story. I appreciate it more than I can say, but can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"Well I have another one." She nodded at him.

"Go ahead."

"Why are you telling me all of this? Was there a reason?"

"That was two questions, Booth, but I see your point. I was thinking, well hoping really, that when the FBI needs to consult with the Jeffersonian, perhaps you could be the agent that we work with. I thought perhaps if I shared something of myself, you might be willing to reciprocate."

She spoke so shyly, he wondered what had become of the confident, cold scientist that he had first met.

"You want to work with me again, Bones? I'm shocked." Booth had attempted to lighten the mood by adding a joking tone to the statement. It backfired.

"You don't want to work with us again. I thought you were diff…" He cut her off.

"No, no, shocked in a good way. I am honored that you think that highly of me. I'll speak to Cullen. If he says OK, I'll keep working with you. Your people are incredible."

"I've got people?"

"Yes, you do." He silently added, "I'm one of them."

She smiled at the thought, and Booth wondered if she had "read his brain". She flagged down the waiter and ordered them both tiramisu.

While waiting for dessert, Booth told her that next time they went out for dinner he would tell his story.

"There's going to be a next time?"

"Sure, why not? If we are going to keep working together, it's only logical that at some point we will share another meal."

"Yes, that is logical." Booth felt that he was doing a lot of smiling, but Brennan was as well, so he didn't try to check it. They spent the remainder of the dinner chatting about less serious things, mostly about their children, but Booth couldn't help thinking about the entire dinner. She trusted him, and she wanted to work with him. He was thrilled, but trying not to show it. They squabbled over who was going to pay, and he let her win. They left the restaurant and they walked in silent companionship to the car. Booth opened her car door for her, and she protested mildly. He just smiled and walked around to the driver's side. They drove back to her place talking about the sights of the city that they were driving through. They compared D.C. to Chicago and Philadelphia, where Booth was raised, and the conversation led them all the way to her building.

He parked the car and followed her up to her apartment. Brennan insisted that it wasn't necessary, but Booth claimed that he wanted to say hello to Angela and good night to Lucy, and Brennan allowed him to join her. As they rode in the elevator, Booth debated about whether or not he could sneak in a good night kiss, maybe on the cheek. He wanted to find a way to tell her how much her story had meant to him, but he wasn't sure what she would accept.

But this_ wasn't_ a date, and the doors to the elevator opened and Booth missed his chance to decide. Because as soon as they exited the elevator, Booth knew that something was wrong. Something was very wrong. The door to Brennan's apartment was broken, the wood from the jamb in a few pieces on the floor. Brennan began to move towards the door, but Booth stopped her.

"Gun goes first, Bones." He said, drawing his weapon, thankful that he was in the habit of keeping himself armed even while off-duty. He kicked the door open lightly. He wasn't sure what to expect, but it wasn't this. Blood was splattered in the living room, furniture was broken, Angela was tied to a chair, tape over her mouth and unconscious, and worst of all there was no sign of Lucy. Brennan called her, but there was no answer. Brennan picked up a crudely written note that had been left on the counter, sitting next to a lopsided but nicely decorated cake. "Destroy your evidence or we destroy your girl." Brennan tried to show Booth the note, but he didn't seem to realize that she was on the same planet let alone standing next to him. Booth stood motionless, and just stared at Lucy's stuffed dolphin lying on the floor in the middle of the living room, grinning stupidly at him.


	28. If You've Got Trouble

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Happy Sunday! I'm sorry that I've become so mean. Hopefully, an update will make up for the most recent turn of events in this story. There is a word in here that I have deliberately not used until this chapter. I'm sure that you can pick it out. Hard to believe I went 50,000 words before using it. Enjoy.

Chapter 28: If You've Got Trouble

July 26, 2005 10:26 PM The Brennans' Apartment

Booth snapped back to reality and was immediately on the phone, calling for paramedics and a forensics team. He called Dr. Goodman to get the Jeffersonian team together. Then he seemed to come the realization that Angela needed help. Brennan was attempting to wake her and untie her wrists, but Brennan's hands were shaking. Booth went to help her. Angela groaned as he tugged too hard at a knot. It looked like both of her wrists were at least sprained. She had a large bruise forming on her face. Her fingers were bloody as it looked like she had scratched the hell out of her attacker. Brennan had already removed the tape and was still trying to rouse her friend. Eventually Angela came around, mumbling incoherently. Brennan was grilling Angela as to where Lucy was. Angela didn't know. She couldn't focus and Booth noticed a lump on her head and tried to calm Brennan. Eventually, Angela began to respond.

"I'm so sorry, Bren. I don't know what happened. It's so fuzzy. They took her. I'm sorry. I'm sorry."  
Angela's energy flagged for a moment as Brennan and Booth raised her to her feet and moved towards the couch.

"She fought so hard, Bren. You would be proud of her. She didn't go without a fight."

Brennan's voice was tender as she reassured her friend. "You fought too, Angela. Thank you for doing what you could. Now, let's lay you on the sofa, you should rest until the paramedics come." They rested Angela gently on the couch, and she succumbed to unconsciousness again. Brennan stroked a thumb across her forehead, trying to reassure her friend that help was on the way and that she felt nothing but gratitude that she had fought so hard for Lucy. As Brennan began cataloging injuries that she could report to the paramedics, a horrible thought jumped into her mind. She immediately stood up and moved towards Booth.

Brennan grabbed his arm. "Booth, Parker? Is he safe?"

Booth's face lost all remaining color. He looked sick as he dialed his phone again. After a few rings, an irritated voice picked up. "Rebecca, thank God. Is Parker safe? Yes, I'm serious. Go check on him. Make sure he is OK."

There was a short pause, clearly Rebecca was checking on their son. Brennan heard the female voice again before Booth responded. "Thank God. OK Rebecca, grab a change of clothes and get out of the house. Go to your parents, and don't stop to talk to anybody. Call me when you get there. I am sending agents over to your parents in a second. Do not leave their house."

Rebecca made some comments on the necessity of such drastic action, asking for an explanation. "My partner's daughter has been kidnapped. I can't risk anything happening to Parker as well. Rebecca, I'm sorry. Tell Parks that I love him, and that I will talk to him soon. Call me when you get there, so I don't have to worry, please? Thank you." He hung up the phone and sighed. Feeling a slight pressure he realized that Brennan had squeezed his arm lightly. Her hand had never left his arm since she had first grabbed it. That realization gave him a sense of warmth that was entirely inappropriate in this situation and he buried the feeling.

"I am glad that Parker is safe. Did you mean what you said on the phone earlier? That I was your partner?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess. Unless you don't want to be."

"No, it has a nice sound to it. It makes me feel like I am not alone."

"Temperance, you are not alone." He set his phone on the table and reached over with his now free hand to touch the one that still rested on his arm. He picked up her cold hand and pulled Brennan into a hug. They held each other until they couldn't ignore the sounds of approaching sirens as the FBI and paramedics began to arrive. Booth squeezed her hand one last time before letting go, leaving the apartment to meet the other agents and to call to request back up at Rebecca's parents. Brennan took a few shaky breaths and went back to her friend; she would have to be with Angela. She was the only link she had to Lucy right now, and that link must be protected at all costs.

Booth gave a quick briefing to the agents and sent them upstairs. He had one last call to make before he could start the investigation. He dialed a familiar, but infrequently used phone number. It picked up on the second ring.

"Seeley, how is it that you know I am in town, five minutes after I get off the plane? Using FBI resources for evil?" Camille Saroyan smiled into the phone. How could he know that she was in town?

"Wait, you're in DC? Now? Thank God, I need you."

"Seeley, I am here for my parents' anniversary tomorrow, but I am sure that I can squeeze you in tonight."

"Cam, I am not calling about that. I need to call in a favor. The biggest favor of my life."

"Booth, you sound serious, what's going on?"

"There's been a kidnapping. A nine year old girl. The daughter of Dr. Brennan, the Jeffersonian consultant. It's bloody, and while the squints are the best in the world with bones and slime, I need someone who can do the flesh. I need the best, and the FBI forensics team isn't good enough."

"You work for the FBI. How can you say that they aren't good enough?"

"I need the best. You are the best. Apologize to your Mom and get over to the Jeffersonian. It's where all of the evidence is being sent. Cam, please, Lucy is a nine year old girl who has been taken violently from her mother, because of a case that I dragged her into. It's all my fault and I need to make it right. I need to…"

"Seeley, I'm already in a cab, on my way. You had me at favor."

Booth released the breath that he didn't know that he had been holding. "Thank you. Go to the Medico-Legal lab. I will call Dr. Goodman and tell him to expect you. I need to get to the hospital, there is a witness to question, call me if you need anything."

"OK, don't worry, Seeley. We will find her."

He hung up the phone. "Yeah, I keep telling myself that."

Booth started to make his way back to Brennan's apartment. He needed to oversee the collection of evidence. His phone rang and it was Goodman saying that Hodgins was on his way to help with the collection. Zack would be coming with him. Booth grunted his thanks, relayed his message about Cam and hung up the phone. He was waiting for the elevator, but he was slowed by the exiting of a stretcher bearing Angela, Brennan at her side. Wordlessly, Booth and Brennan communicated that he would remain here for now and that Brennan would stay with Angela.

* * *

An hour and a half later Booth had arrived at the hospital. He went into Angela's room and was surprised to see her holding a pencil and a pad of paper sketching furiously despite the obvious pain in her wrists. Brennan was sitting in a chair looking like a caged animal ready to pounce.

Booth cleared his throat getting both of their attention. "Angela, what are you doing?"

"Drawing the attackers. There were two of them. They weren't even wearing masks. I can give you accurate descriptions, I already talked to some agents, but I thought the sketches would help. The one I'm drawing now, that's the one I scratched. I got his face, so I'll try to add in the injuries I made. The shorter one, that's the one that took Lucy. She pointed to a sketch that was resting in her lap. Lucy bit him pretty good. He definitely bled too." She launched into a detailed description of the attack. Her voice broke several times, and Booth wasn't sure whether or not Brennan should be here to hear this. He knew that now was not the time to try and comfort her or try to get her to leave. She was going to have to get her way for the time being.

Booth took notes on Angela's statement and looked at the now completed sketches. He was amazed at the accuracy she was able to generate in such a short amount of time especially considering her injuries. Booth gave them his preliminary report.

"I've got the best people on this case. I even called in a friend of mine. Well she's a coroner, been a cop for years, and she is the best. She's already at the Jeffersonian. Hodgins and Zack collected a bunch of evidence from the apartment. Hodgins is most excited by a boot print. The guy stepped in something wet."

Angela interrupted, "I knocked over a glass of water at some point."

"Yeah, anyway one guy stepped in it, left a muddy deposit on the floor. We have some fibers and hair too. Umm, preliminary evidence shows that it matches some of the hairs that we found on Wells. The good news is that they are getting desperate. Desperate means they get sloppy, leave evidence."

Brennan felt nauseous at the thought of Lucy in the hands of desperate men, but just swallowed once and finally found her voice. "Is there anything on the note? I shouldn't have touched it. I may have compromised evidence."

"Hodgins took that too. He'll see what he can get." Angela having completed her immediate tasks looked ready to crash again. Booth decided that it was time to let her actually rest.

"I'm headed back to the Hoover. I want to give these sketches to some agents, see if we can come up with anything else. I've got a call into an attorney and Cullen is in the loop as well. I need to go give some briefings. Rest up, Angela. Thanks for these." He picked up the sketches and rolled them carefully in his hand.

Brennan sighed, touched Angela's shoulder gently and turned to Booth.

"I am coming with you."

"Don't you want to stay with Angela?"

"Go, Sweetie. I am going to rest. If I think of anything else I will call you. Go find Lucy."

Booth nodded one last time, and followed Brennan out of the room, gently guiding her with one hand on the small of her back. Angela watched them go and didn't bother to stop the tears that now flowed from her eyes. Everything had been going so well, and now all was lost.


	29. Don't Let Me Down

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends, I'm glad that you guys are still following the story and are interested in the newest twist. As always thank you for your reviews and alerts. Here it goes, Enjoy.

Chapter 29: Don't Let Me Down

July 26, 2005 11:32 PM Route 29, Virginia

Lucy had woken in the back of a van moving at a high rate of speed. She felt slightly groggy and her mouth felt dry. She realized that someone had tied a cloth over her mouth to muffle any sounds she might make. Her arms and legs were also tied, but whoever had tied her arms must not be used to tying up someone with such small wrists. With a little bit of wiggling she was able to free her arms. She tried to remain calm. She had a gash over one cheek that had now scabbed over, although it remained tender and sore. There was also a bump on the side of her head. Her memory was fuzzy as to when she had got that bump, she knew that it was after the blond man had knocked out Angela with the butt of a gun.

Lucy shivered. What was she going to do? She debated trying to jump out of the van, but it was going too fast, and she couldn't feel a latch to release the door. She needed an alternate plan, and she wasn't her mother's daughter for nothing. She had to leave evidence, proof that she had been in this van, clues that her mother and Booth could use to find her.

She tugged a few strands of hair out of her head, only wincing slightly. She ground them into the carpet in the van. One sleeve of her pajamas was ripped and she continued to tear at it until she had a swatch of fabric in her hands. She tore it into thinner strips leaving one in the van. She wanted to be able to leave more scraps later if necessary, she tucked the remaining scraps into a pocket on her shirt. She tugged her gag off her mouth and attempted to work up enough saliva in order to spit but was unable to. She really needed an escape plan. But she couldn't think of one. She wished her mother was with her. She worried about Angela. Was she all right, she had been so brave, was she badly hurt or worse? Terror momentarily took over Lucy's mind and she started to cry. The van hit a bump and she was knocked off of her feet.

She stifled a cry as her arm hit the side of the van. She curled into a ball and continued to jostle in the back of the moving car. She took a few deep breaths in order to regain control. Slowly, a plan began to form in her mind. She reached around in the dark for the rope and wriggled back into them after pulling the gag back over her mouth. She had to fool the men into thinking that she was a dumb little girl, lull them into a false sense of security. She had to keep her eyes and ears open for any clues and any chance to run. She had to be prepared. She knew that her Mom and Booth would be looking for her, and all of the "squints." They would help Aunt Angela and they would help her. She just had to be ready to help herself.

The van continued to jostle. She deduced that they were no longer on the highway, but perhaps a dirt or gravel road. The van hit a large pothole and she was thrown once again about the van. Tired, scared and sore, she tried to rest, and she remained half asleep for the remainder of the ride. The van screeched to a halt. She heard men shouting, there was a long creaking sound and the van moved a short distance. Then the engine was killed. Lucy tensed, knowing that they were at their final destination. She reminded herself to act stupid, to do whatever these men wanted. Underestimating her would be their downfall, she would make sure of that.

She could hear the men talking and she listened intently. She needed to remember every detail, everything that was said.

"Bud, the boss is gonna kill us. We screwed up, bad."

"Shut your yap, Sonny. Don't you think I know that? We were sloppy and we got beaten up by a woman and a child. Did you know that woman spit in my eye after scratching me? Bitch. We're in too deep. I don't like it."

Sonny continued to talk in his loud and angry voice. Lucy flinched despite her vow to be brave, just like her mother. "We were already deep in it. I know the guys talked. And we know that they found evidence, they've been to the garage, they've got us cornered. And He says that He has something else in the works. He'll be here soon. This is such an effing mess. Why the hell did we sign up for this?"

The man named Buddy responded and Lucy memorized what he said. "I told you that his mom was married to my dad, for three years when we were teenagers. We were best friends and then their marriage fell apart. But he's a brother to me. I'd do anything for him. And don't forget the money. Twenty grand apiece for helping to get rid of that no good piece of crap congressman."

"Well, I don't care that we got rid of that guy. My tax money was going to his bleeding heart campaigns, but we just kidnapped a baby. This isn't right."

"Sonny, just give Him a little more time. He's gotta plan. A plan that will get us out of here, safe and rich."

Sonny sighed and ruffled his hair. "Fine, but I'm not going down for this. You may be married to my sister, but so help me God, I will rat you out so fast, I'll win a gold medal at the next Olympics."

"Fine, fine. Let's get our cargo. Can't let her escape." He took a deep breath, breathing in the forest air. "Jeez that pond reeks, I keep telling him to get that thing cleaned out. The fishing was terrible here on Sunday." They opened the van door to a sleeping girl. Buddy roughly picked her up, but she stayed asleep. He carried her out of the garage and up a hill to the cabin leaving Sonny to close the van and the shed. His burden was light as he opened the door, flipped on the lights and looked around the large room. Taking a length of rope that had been left in the cabin for some unknown reason, he tied the girl to the chair. She shifted a bit, but did not open her eyes. He looked at her suspiciously, but said nothing. Sonny joined him in the cabin and handed Buddy a cigarette.

"Come on, it's time to calm some nerves."

"And wait for instructions." Both men nodded to each other and lit up their smokes. Unnoticed, Lucy wrinkled her nose in disgust and pretended to sleep once more, actually falling asleep over time as the men were quiet, sitting and waiting for their boss.

She woke up again when the cabin door opened. She could hear a soft crying sound. A girl about her age, with red hair and dressed in a thin nightgown was sobbing. She was accompanied by a man that Lucy had never seen before. He quickly tied the girl into a chair next to Lucy and laughed in Lucy's face when she looked frightened.

"Hello, Lucy. It's nice to finally meet you. I hope the boys have made your stay comfortable." He pulled the gag down from her mouth so that she could respond.

"My Mom and Booth are going to find me, and they are going to arrest you." He smirked at her and leaned into her face, his hot breath in her ear.

"They are never going to find you, you should just give up now." She didn't intimidate easily.

"They are way smarter than you. They won't let me down." He laughed at her and walked towards his goons, whispering that so she couldn't make out what the men were saying.

A tear rolled down her face, she was unable to stop it. She thought to herself, "They are coming for me, they won't give up, and neither will I." She gave a reassuring nod to the still sobbing girl, feeling sorry for her. She whispered, "Don't worry, the good guys will find us. They will." The girl sniffled and nodded her head. She couldn't help believing Lucy. Someone would find them, Skylar hoped, sooner rather than later.


	30. Happiness is a Warm Gun

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Well, I have broken from my usual posting schedule, but that is mainly because I have pretty much everything ready to be published. So look forward to lots of updates in the near future. Thank you all for sticking with this story and for your continued love in the way of alerts and reviews. Enjoy.

Chapter 30: Happiness is a Warm Gun

July 27, 2005 2:48 AM The Hoover Building

Brennan stayed with Booth through all of his briefings. She remained uncharacteristically quiet. She answered curtly when asked questions and actually listened to what other agents had to say. She did however, flinch at any words of comfort that others had to offer and over time Booth took to staring down anybody who tried to offer condolences. Eventually, the briefings were over and they made their way back to his office. Suddenly the relatively passive Brennan from the previous hours disappeared and she roughly shoved Booth. He stumbled, but caught his balance, but she continued to push him until he was backed against a wall, and then she began to yell at him.

"This is all your fault, Booth. I should never have agreed to go to dinner with you. I should have been home, with my daughter. Then they would have taken me, they would have left her and Angela alone. They would have left my child asleep in her bed, she would be fine. But it's all your fault. "

Booth was undeniably frustrated by the events of the evening. "Bones, Bones. Stop! Don't you think I know that this is all my fault. I dragged you into this case. I let you go into the field, putting you in danger, putting the whole lab in danger. I hate myself."

Brennan looked slightly rebuked, it was too hard to stay angry once pity began to work into the emotions of the scientist. It was too hard to stay angry at him when she was angry at herself.

"I'm sorry Booth. It's not your fault. It's my fault. I mean," she glanced at her watch. "I mean, today is her birthday, what kind of mother goes out to dinner with some guy when she should be home with her daughter? After breaking a promise to bake her a birthday cake. I don't deserve to be a mother."

Booth tried to calm her down, but felt his voice rising, he was too frustrated to remain calm. "Don't blame yourself. Squirt told you to go to dinner. Angela told you to go, too. I begged you to come with me. How could we know that someone would come in the two hours that you were away from home?" She looked like she was about to hit him.

Instantly, his tone gentled. He reached towards her, but she backed away from him. "I'm sorry. That was uncalled for. But how do you know that they would have left her safe in her bed? They could have just killed you both. Put bullets in the back of both of your brains. They needed her alive so they would have leverage to get to you! If you had been home, who knows what they would have done?"

"If you are trying to make me feel better, you are failing miserably."

"No, I am just trying to make you see logic and reason. We have lots of evidence and clues. Angela gave us the sketches and a good description of the attackers and the events of the attack. And Hodgins is going to scrutinize those boot prints. We have a lot to work with and we will find her."

"What if we don't find her? What am I going to do without her? She is my entire life. I've lost my parents, my brother, my daughter's father, and now I am going to lose my daughter too. If there was a God, he would really have to hate me."

"Well then, it a good thing that you don't believe in Him." Booth responded rather bitterly. He took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose control and argue about God. "I'm sorry. Temperance, please, just sit down for a bit. My guys will be done with the sketches in a few minutes and we will have more to go on. Names, aliases, hideouts." Booth's voice trailed off as he followed Brennan's gaze. She was looking at a medium sized silver bag with a blue ribbon hanging from its handle. Booth grimaced. He should have remembered about the bag and hidden it.

"Booth, what's in the bag?"

"It was a birthday present for Lucy. Parker and I picked it out for her. Just a little something, I'll give it to her when we get her back."

"Would you mind if I saw what was in the bag?"

"No, Bones. Go right ahead. I am sure that we can rewrap it. No harm, no foul." Brennan carefully unwrapped the gift. It was a stuffed monkey dressed inexplicably in blue swimming trunks and a rather garish Hawaiian shirt that was covered in a pattern of multicolored flowers and splashing dolphins. Brennan hugged the soft body tight to her chest. Booth came behind her and rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"We named him Ringo."

"I don't know what that means."

Booth's voice was gentle as he explained. "I looked up that fossil that you named Lucy after. They nicknamed the fossil Lucy after the Beatles song, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. And well, even though Ringo was my least favorite Beatle, Parker liked that name the best. So Ringo it is."

Brennan was both touched and crushed by his thoughtfulness. She rewrapped the monkey in tissue paper and placed the monkey back inside the bag. Her eyes filled with tears for the millionth time that day,

"How can you think that you will be able to give her Ringo? How can you keep telling me that we will get her back?"

"It's called faith, Bones. I keep praying, and we will chase down every lead, and we will never give up."

"No, we'll never give up. Thank you, Booth, for the gift and the prayers. I don't believe in God, but I can't help feeling that I can believe in you."

"Bones, I think that is the nicest thing that you have ever said to me."

"I think it's the only nice thing I've said to you." She gave him a small, watery smile. He responded with a quiet chuckle and grabbed her for a hug. One of his arms snaked around her back, rubbing soothing circles. She let him comfort her and pour his strength into her for a few moments, and after an eternity or only a few seconds his phone rang. Keeping his arm around her he reached with his other had to pick up his phone. She shivered in his arms, but drew closer to him burying her cheek into his shoulder.

"Booth."

"It's Caroline. Cullen's been in touch. I've got a judge at my beck and call when we need warrants. We'll find these guys, but I have to warn you _cher_, you've got to keep your lady scientist away from the evidence. She won't be able to testify in this case, since it is her daughter we are looking for. You don't want her to compromise anything; we want a sure thing when we go to trial."

"Thanks for calling, Caroline. I owe you one, maybe seven. I'll be in touch when we need something." Booth hung up his phone. Brennan disengaged herself from Booth and looked directly at him. Something about her expression made him swallow nervously.

"You can let me see the evidence. There isn't going to be a trial. When I find those bastards I am going to put a bullet right between their eyes." Booth swallowed again. He didn't know how to respond, and he wasn't expecting her next sentence. "Where can I get a gun?" He definitely wasn't expecting his own response, either.

"Come with me."

Booth had grabbed Brennan's hand and was dragging her out of his office. Brennan asked rather breathlessly, "Where are we going?"

"To the firing range. You aren't taking a gun with you, but shooting a few things might be good for you while we wait. Let's see if you can put your money where your mouth is."

"I don't know what that means, but shouldn't we be doing something more productive?"

"We have agents working every angle. You have Hodgins and Zack at the Jeffersonian. Angela is resting. I have my friend, Cam, working too. They will call us when they have something. Let's take care of you for a few minutes. And right now, taking care of you means letting you shoot things."

They made their way down to the firing range, where Brennan was given a small pistol. She had argued briefly that she wanted a bigger gun, but Booth told her that this one was more accurate and she desisted. He gave her a quick talk on safety rules and gave her some ammo. She loaded the gun like a pro, and he let his shock show.

"I've been trained before. I've needed to be armed on certain digs. And I have found that using fire  
arms after dealing with the FBI has provided a calming effect."

"Oh."

Brennan unloaded clip after clip into the paper targets, aiming for right between the eyes, every time. She was amazingly accurate. Booth watched her fire. She asked for more ammunition twice, and he complied. She needed the distraction. The fourth time he gave her more ammo he realized that she was crying. Her shooting had become erratic and it was time to stop her. He waited until she had unloaded the last clip and then gently came behind her and removed the gun from her grasp. He set it on the small counter.

"That's enough, Bones."

Her tears began to flow harder. She took gasping breaths trying to calm herself, but just started sobbing harder. He held her for the third time that day as she finally had a full breakdown. She hiccupped and sputtered and continued to sob into his shirt. She made no apologies for the tears on his clothing and he didn't expect any. Slowly, her breathing calmed somewhat and she only sobbed on occasion. She slowly pulled away from him.

"I'm sorry, Booth. I don't know what is wrong with me. I'm not usually this emotional."

"Bones, your daughter is missing. If it was Parker, I'd be huddled in a ball in the corner. The fact that you are still standing, it's impressive. So you got my suit a little wet, so what?"

"I don't like being weak."

"You are the strongest person that I have ever met. Come on, you are exhausted. You are going to rest for a few minutes."

"No."

"No arguing, Bones. As much as we both hate it right now, this is a waiting game. There's a lounge around the corner. Just twenty minutes. Just lay down and relax. It will make me feel better, even if it does nothing for you."

"Ten minutes. That's it."

"Fine. Ten minutes." They exited the range, returning the gun to its proper place and taking over the small lounge. Booth had to press on her shoulders to get Bones to sit on the couch, but eventually she rested her head on the edge of the sofa and Booth breathed a small sigh of relief. Despite her protests that she did not need to rest, she quickly fell into an exhausted sleep. He watched her as she rested. Ten minutes crept by and then fifteen. He let her sleep. There was nothing else that she could do right now, and nothing else that he could do for her. So he stood guard, made quiet phone calls to agents looking for updates. Nothing was moving fast enough, and every second counted.

He sat in a chair and rubbed the back of his neck, utterly exhausted, but not allowing his own body to sleep. It was his job to watch over his partner, and he would not fail with this small task, like he was failing with all of his other duties. A voice in the back of his head kept blaming him for everything, and he was unable to quiet those thoughts. The shrill ring of his phone was the first noise to make all those poisonous voices shut up. Keeping one eye on Brennan, he flipped open the phone.


	31. With A Little Help From My Friends

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: It's Sunday, and I wanted to post this before I spend the day at work. This is a viewpoint that I haven't done before, but hopefully you will like it. We are starting to get some answers, so enjoy.

Chapter 31: With A Little Help From My Friends

July 27, 2005 3:22 AM George Washington Hospital

Hodgins timidly walked into Angela's room. In one hand was a bouquet of orchids, procured from an unknown location. As they were stored in an abnormally large beaker, instead of a vase, it was likely that the Jeffersonian greenhouse was going to be short several specimens in the morning. In Hodgins' other hand was a thick pile of papers, carefully juggled. He watched Angela sleep for a minute, noting the bruises on her face and the bandages on her wrists. His heart constricted in his chest as she took in a labored breath, obviously in pain. He carefully set the makeshift vase on a table, and set the papers on the chair in the room. He gently stroked her forehead, and she stirred.

"Hodgins, what are you doing here?"

"I needed to see you, to make sure that you were all right."

"What time is it?"

"About 3:30 in the morning."

"How did you get in here?"

"Did you know that this wing is known as the Cantilever Wing?"

"No."

"Well it is. And I happen to know the Cantilevers. I don't like to exploit the connection, except when it's really important."

"But, what are you doing here?"

"I told you, I had to see that you were OK."

"No, you need to be helping Bren and Lucy. You should be at the lab."

"I know, I did all that I could there. I have two tests running, take about an hour to incubate, so I decided that I could take a few minutes to come see you. But, look I'm all about work. I brought some files. You're the artist, you see things from a different perspective. I thought that we could help. That is, if you're feeling up to it. No pressure. I can just sit for a few minutes, while you rest and then its back to the Jeffersonian for me. I left Zack in charge, and there is this Dr. Saroyan helping out. Actually, the hospital collected a few more samples from your hands that she wants to analyze. Get this, she's a cop and a doctor. She's pretty awesome and I'm just going to put it out there. She's pretty hot, too. Smokin' actually. I mean she's got nothing on you, but..."

"Hodgins, you're babbling. Here, bring over the files." She patted the bedside next to her, wincing in pain.

"Ange, you should take some more painkillers, I can get a nurse, if you need one."

"No, I need to be thinking clearly. Do you have any pictures for me to look at?"

"Yeah, here." He flipped to the bottom of the stack and handed her several photos. Some were from newspapers and local magazines, and others from random collections provided by witnesses over several months of interrogations. Most pictures were from charity events and press conferences, and an occasional photo from the Capitol was also included.

Angela flipped through the photos thoughtfully, not quite sure what she was looking for. She kept her eyes peeled for her attackers, but they weren't in any of the photos. Hodgins was going over data from several lab reports, every thirty seconds or so, he inched his chair closer to Angela until he was next to her bed. She smiled as his arm draped on the bed, not quite touching her, but close enough that she could feel the warmth it generated. She flipped through the photos a second time, still not quite sure what she was looking for. Suddenly one photo caught her eye. It was a photo taken of several wealthy businessmen, but it was the background that was screaming at her. A slightly out of focus Congressman Wells shaking hands with a slightly blurry man caught her eye. It was a man with a clean-shaven face and longish silvery hair.

"Hodgins, how did no one see this earlier?"

"See what, Ange?"

"That man, shaking hands with Wells. Look at his hair."

Hodgins scrutinized the photo. "Oh my God, you did it Ange. Whoever this guy is, he matches those hairs we found on Wells."

"But who is it?" Angela looked through more photographs from that evening and then turned to a recent photo taken at the press conference the Friday before. She squinted at the photo.

"I've found him. This is the same guy." Hodgins grabbed the two photos.

"Umm, I think you are on one too many pain-killers. The guy in this photo is maybe forty pounds heavier and they don't look at all alike."

"No, look closer. These photos were taken five months apart. He lost weight, cut his hair and grew a beard, that's all. Look at the eyes, look at the bone structure. It's the same man. If I could get my hands on the original, and a computer, I could prove that it's the same guy. You have to believe me."

He looked at the two photos again, and it clicked. "Of course I believe you. Do you know who this guy is?"

"No, it's from the press conference, it's a huge crowd. Tons of people were there, the photo isn't labelled."

"Ange, this isn't just some random guy. I didn't recognize him at first, with how much he's changed. This man is Hanson Miller, political opponent of Joseph Wells."

"Are you sure?"

"I make it a point to know who the smarmy ambitious politicians are. Conspiracies run deep, baby. You are amazing. No one else saw this, the guy practically disappeared after he lost in '04. No wonder I didn't recognize him in the photos before. When he was campaigning, he died his hair, worked out more, wasn't heavy like he was five months ago, and more toned than he looks now. At the time, he was probably trying to look younger."

"Do you really think that he could be involved?" Hodgins idly stroked his beard.

"There's a reason I'm a scientist and not a cop. It doesn't make sense. Dr. B. said that Linda wanted Steven dead. Miller couldn't have had anything against Steven Wells. And I just don't see it. She said that she was having an affair with the man who set up the hit. Miller must be over twenty years older than Linda. Why would she be into him?"

"Haven't you ever heard of Hugh Hefner?" Hodgins chuckled, then glanced at his watch and sighed.

"I guess. Angela, I don't want to leave you, but..."

"But you need to get back to the lab. Please, do. Lucy needs your help. And you'll tell Booth about the photos. Maybe he knows something that we don't?"

"Will do. Promise me that you will rest?" He wanted to hold her hand to reassure her that everything would be all right, but the bandages were in the way. He settled for a gentle palm on her shoulder. She smiled at him and rested more deeply into her pillows.

"I'll try. Let me know when you know anything."

"Will do, baby." She smiled softly as she closed her eyes. He placed such a gentle kiss on her forehead; she wasn't sure whether or not she dreamt it. But she had a hard enough time trying to fall asleep again. Lucy, the daughter of her best friend, her honorary niece and the most amazing little girl that Angela had ever met was missing. It was doubtful that she was resting in a comfortable bed. Angela hoped that the she wasn't in too much pain or too scared, and she couldn't allow herself to think of anything worse having happened to the girl. A few tears slipped down her cheeks. Hodgins had been watching her for a few moments, unable to tear himself away. At the sight of a drop running down her beautiful face, he snapped the rubber band at his wrist several times and walked out of the door.

"When we find these men, I'm going to kill them," Hodgins thought as he snapped the band one final time against his now red wrist. He stopped by the nurses' station to pick up the other samples he needed and he rushed back to the lab. He was going to prove that Miller was involved and then he was going to bring the entire wrath of the FBI and the Jeffersonian down on that guy. And if all else failed, he had enough money to take out a contract of his own. Nobody messed with Angela and got away with it. Nobody.

Upon returning to the lab and checking on the experiments that he had left running, he knew that it was time to put everything together. Checking in with Zack and Dr. Saroyan, Hodgins dialed his phone. It picked up on the first ring.

"Booth."

"It's Hodgins. We've got some things we need to tell you."

"We'll be right there. I've just got to wake Bones up." Hodgins heard her response through the phone, before Booth unceremoniously hung up.

Brennan simply said, "Let's go."


	32. Helter Skelter

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Well, you are demanding updates, and your wishes are my command. Sorry, this one is on the short side, but it is all a means to an end. The next chapter will be up sometime tomorrow. Enjoy.

Chapter 32: Helter Skelter

July 27, 2005 4:36 AM The Jeffersonian Institution

Booth guided a blank looking Brennan into the Jeffersonian. Mutely, Brennan slid her ID card and stepped up to the platform, Booth keeping his hand on her back. She looked exhausted and it was as if Booth's reassuring hand was the only thing keeping her vertical.. Glancing around she realized that the entire team looked just as awful as she did. A beautiful woman who looked the least tired and worried peeled off her gloves and gave Booth a long, hard hug.

"It's good to see you, Seeley." He let go of Brennan in order to return the hug.

"You too, Camille. And don't call me..."

"Seeley." They both finished the line together, an old tradition. It momentarily broke the tension and Booth turned to his partner.

"Cam, may I introduce Dr. Temperance Brennan. Bones, this is Dr. Camille Saroyan. She's a good friend and a brilliant pathologist." Cam extended a hand out to Brennan, who stared at it. Cam quickly pulled the hand away, slightly offended, but a quick look from Booth seemed to explain it all. Pleasantries could be ignored, especially as it was Dr. Brennan's daughter who was missing.

"OK, shall we get to work?" Cam looked around at the group, ready to report to the partners. "I started analyzing the samples of blood from the apartment." Brennan flinched and reached out to clutch Booth's arm. Hodgins seemed to understand her difficulty remaining upright and pulled over a stool for her. She sank into it and Booth gave the entomologist a grateful smile. Cam continued.

"Two of the samples were male, as we expected. The others were female, also as expected. The male samples are probably not blood relations, one is O-neg the other is AB. The chances of them having the same parents would be 25% and the only possible way for that to happens was if one parent was AO and the other was BO." Booth snickered at the BO comment, but the scorching stares from everyone on the platform stopped him. He quickly put a serious expression back on his face and Cam went on. "Anyway, I'm analyzing every available sample. They are in the PCR now, we can have DNA results in a few hours. We have managed to preliminarily match the hair samples to the hairs from the previous crime scene, but we'll have to wait for more conclusive results. We need to amplify all of the DNA before we can analyze it. It's a long process." She looked apologetic.

Booth summarized, "So the blood and the hairs in Bones' apartment came from the men who murdered Wells?"

"It's probable. Like I said, it takes time for corroboration."

Brennan interjected, "The one thing we don't have is time. Hodgins, what do you know?" Booth gave Cam an understanding nod. Brennan was hard to get to know on a good day, on a day like today, it wasn't really worth the effort. Hodgins began to talk.

"I've analyzed as many particulates as I could get my hands on. Flora indicates a forested area in Western Virginia, and I can't get more specific than that, unfortunately. Nothing terribly unique about the pollen and spores. I've started a T-RFLP analysis, to try and get more species specific, I can pinpoint a more exact location probably by cross-referencing with available GIS, but it's going to be 48 hours at least. As for fauna, I found two insect eggs that I am attempted to hatch. One is definitely a Coleoptera, the other a Diptera." Booth looked confused and Brennan explained.

"Hodgins can use a T-RFLP to look at patterns in the DNA that would lead us to a specific type of tree or shrub. Like telling the difference between a gala apple and a honeycrisp. They both are apple trees, but different genetically." Booth nodded. "Oh and the insects are a beetle and a fly, Booth." Booth nodded again and Hodgins continued.

"I left them both incubating, got lucky with one, the Diptera hatched. It's a moth fly. Commonly found in sewage treatment pipelines and mossy, stagnant waters. This particular species has been found in some ponds in the area, especially ones with poor drainage."

Booth spoke again, "Does it get us any closer to narrowing down a location?"

"Best guess, a cabin in the woods with a nearby water source. I'm looking through the soil found on the guy's boot print. It's a mess. He wore those things everywhere. By the way, does Hanson Miller own any property near Shenandoah?" All heads snapped to stare at Hodgins. Only Cam couldn't place the name, but still she couldn't help noticing how everyone else reacted.

Zack recovered first, "We have no evidence linking Miller to any of this data. Why would you propose an unsubstantiated claim?"

"OK, listen to this. I visited Angela in the hospital, I had to wait for my tests to incubate, so I stopped by to see her. I brought some files and photos for her to look through. I know she is worried about Lucy and would want to help. Here, look at these photos. They are both Hanson Miller. Only her eyes could have spotted it. Seriously. I think the silver hair from Wells' body came from Miller. The other two hairs are the ones we found at Dr. B's apartment. Those are his goons, doing the dirty work. He probably just came to supervise, make sure that they killed Wells properly, and accidentally left a piece of himself behind. Then he just cut his hair, and grew a beard, he became a new person." All eyes stared at him in disbelief. "I know, I'm crazy, right! But it's possible."

Booth had scrutinized the two photos, but didn't see what Brennan saw in a single glance. She handed the photos to Zack who could also see the facial similarities. Zack handed the pictures back to Hodgins without comment.

Booth was concentrating hard, "I don't understand. Linda took a hit out on her husband, but it is Joseph that ends up getting killed. If Hanson was there he would have known that they had the wrong man. It doesn't make sense. Did he really arrange a hit for his mistress and then when he saw that they had nabbed his enemy instead, he just said 'Aww Shucks, go ahead and kill him anyway? Sorry, dear. I'll get your husband next time.'" The group stared at him again. Zack opened his mouth to speak, but Booth cut him off.

"I get it, you guys don't do motive. That's why you let me in here. We'll look into it. And if it is Miller who was involved, we will find him. If he doesn't own the property, I bet one of the accomplices does. It makes sense to take Lucy to a remote location. Harder to trace. It's how I would do it." He looked sheepish as the Jeffersonian employees stared at him. Cam offered a sad smile, she alone knew most of the details of Booth's past. Trying to avoid their gazes, Booth glanced at his watch. "Where are the techs with the sketches? They should have names by now."

Cam contributed, "It's not like one of those insipid crime-solving shows, Booth. It can take hours to search through a database of drivers license photos. It's not an instant process."

Booth sing-songed. "Not helping, Camille."

"Sorry. I think that's all we've got right now." Booth looked to Hodgins and Zack, desperate for anything more concrete. With more time they would be able to have more specifics, but it wasn't bad work for four hours of effort.

Everyone except for Brennan looked awkwardly at each other, not knowing what to say or what the next step was. Brennan was still sitting on her stool staring at the ground. She finally spoke, looking at the team in the eyes once before bowing her head back to the floor.

"Thank you everyone, for doing what you could. I appreciate it. We will find her, we will." Booth put his arm around her shoulder offering support. She leaned against him, and Cam gave Booth a knowing look, which he dismissed with a minute shake of the head. Booth sighed and addressed the crowd.

"I'll call my guys, see if some good old fashioned police work can track Miller's properties, see if he had anything against Steven. Maybe Caroline can help us see Linda, if we can get her to slip a name, it would really help us, especially to work on getting a warrant. The sooner we have one of those, the better. And I'll check on the progress of the DMV search. They'll have something soon, Bones. I swear it."

Booth had reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, but it rang before he could dial a single number.

"Booth." He listened to the other end of the line for a moment before slamming his phone shut and kicking a nearby trash can, its metal clattering on the floor. Everyone in the room jumped slightly.

"Bones, we have to get back to the Hoover. Steven Wells just called the FBI. Skylar Wells is missing."


	33. I Got To Find My Baby

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Not much to say today, the next chapter will be up tomorrow. Enjoy.

Chapter 33: I Got To Find My Baby

July 27, 2005 6:52 AM The Hoover Building

Steven Wells stumbled into the Hoover, being held steady by Saul. They were met in the lobby by several agents, and led to an interrogation room where Booth was sitting with Caroline Julian. Brennan had been forced into the observation room, which Booth silently thought was a good idea. She was short on nerves and long on temper as it was, the fiery lawyer and the abrasive scientist would not be a good mix.

Saul helped Steven into a seat, and Steven waived his right to a representative. He slurred that he was a lawyer, he knew what to say and when to stop. Caroline raised an eyebrow at him, but stayed silent. Steven and Saul launched into the tale of how they had spent the evening. Shocked by the arrest of his wife and her alleged betrayal, Steven had spent a night in his home office drinking. He hadn't told Skylar what had happened, not knowing exactly what to say. When she had come into his office to say goodnight, the inebriated man had yelled at the girl to go to her room and stay there until morning. She had cried, and deeply hurt, claimed that she was going to run away. He waved off her threat and she left the room, crying and calling him mean. Overcome with a new guilt he had taken another shot and then called Saul.

Saul had arrived just as Steven was finishing the bottle of hard liquor. The man had nearly blacked out in his office chair. The loyal chauffeur had forced down some aspirin and two bottles of water, before dragging the lighter man to his bed. Saul had then settled himself on the couch, preparing to check on his friend every hour. He wasn't sure whether a stomach pumping might be necessary, he wasn't sure how full the bottle had been when Steven had started drinking.

Saul had checked on his friend at midnight, one and two before falling asleep on the couch. He had awoken to the sound of a car door slamming, but ignored it. It was about 3:20 when he went back to check on the heavily sleeping drunk man. It was after that pass that Saul had noticed something wrong. A light was on in Skylar's room. Deciding to see why the girl was awake he had politely knocked. Upon receiving no answer he gently opened the door. The bed had been slept in, but there was no sign of Skylar. The window was open, but everything else appeared undisturbed. A ladder was propped against the window, it was only then that Saul had raced to wake up his boss. After confirming that Sharon had not heard from the girl, they had decided to call the police.

After Steven had screamed at the local Chief of Police, telling him that he wasn't doing enough to find his daughter, he called the FBI and dressed as well as he could manage in his now hungover state. Steven only lived an hour from DC and Saul had raced him to the Hoover, which brought them to the current state of affairs.

The two men had spoken uninterrupted and now Booth finally asked a question. "Steven, did Hanson Miller have any sort of grudge against you?"

Steven rubbed his temples, but attempted to be charming, trying to distract the interrogators from his inebriated state. "No, I don't think so. I cut in front of him at a buffet at a fundraiser, once. He wasn't a big fan of me that day. He'd really been packing on the pounds since he lost to Joe. Other than that I don't think he cared for my brother. Hanson had been all poised to take over the fifth district and then the world, my brother screwed up his plans. But they always appeared friendly in public. Didn't we already talk about this back in my office? Miller moved on. He could always run again, it's a free country."

"To your knowledge was your wife having an affair with Miller?" Steven's joking tone shifted 180 degrees as he slammed his fist into the table and then winced in pain.

"I knew she was cheating on me. I knew she was unhappy. All she wanted was a divorce, but I didn't want it to hurt my image. I had big plans. I couldn't figure out why she didn't want to be the wife of the Vice President of the United States of America, because that is where I was heading. Joe and I were going to go all of the way. But I didn't think that she was cheating on me with that dirtbag." Steven punched the table again. Even from the observation room, Brennan realized the he had at least cracked a metacarpal. An agent entered the observation room at that moment and handed Brennan a folder. Without saying a word, he nodded toward the interrogation room. Brennan watched a few more minutes of the questioning before going to fetch her partner.

Across the glass, Steven had stood up and had tried to grab at Booth. "I'll kill him. I swear to God. Did that man kill my brother? Did he kidnap my daughter? Answer me! Answer me, now!" Booth quickly subdued the man and set him back in the chair. There was a knock at the door and Caroline, staring disapprovingly at the drunken Congressman, moved to open it.

Brennan stood there, holding out her file. "Techs just brought this by. According to the local officers they found a note under Skylar's bed. It reads, 'Free the mother, and we free the daughter.' We requested that they send it to the Jeffersonian, it's on the way. And tell Booth that we have an ID on the accomplices, finally."

Booth had heard her talking to Caroline and moved his way towards the door as Steven had sunk back into his chair and passed out. A concerned Saul was hovering over him. Caroline nodded to the agent. "Go with your lady scientist, I'll get someone to help me with these guys. We'll keep them in the building in case we need them. Get gone,_ cher_." Booth smiled and then met Brennan in the hallway.

"Spill it, Bones." She stared at him blankly for a moment, but when he gestured at the paper, she seemed to understand the saying.

"Frank Costello is the shorter man with brown hair. The other man is Patrick Reardon. Frank is married to a Catherine Reardon, Patrick's sister. I'm sorry Booth, but there is no known connection to Hanson Miller. The techs have gone back twenty years, and nothing. They are going back further. Also, none of these people have a property near a forest. They all live in urban areas. Other agents are still looking, but soon they'll be out of range of digitized files. If they have to go look through paper files, it could take forever."

Booth's fist nearly punched a wall. They were getting closer, and still seemed miles away. He now felt responsible for two small girls being separated from their parents. And he now agreed with Hodgins' crazy theory. Somehow, Miller was involved, but they had to prove it. If Miller got away with it, Booth wasn't sure what he was going to do. He was interrupted in his dark thoughts by a quiet pressure of a hand on his arm and a confident voice in his ear.

"Stop it, Booth."

"Stop what?"

"Stop blaming yourself." She squeezed his arm and he let out a sigh.

"I can't help it. It's what I do."

"Well what do we do now?" Brennan looked at him expectantly. He sighed again.

"We wait."

"I was afraid of that." Booth put his arm around her shoulders and led her to his office.

"Me too."


	34. You're Going to Lose That Girl

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Chapter 34: You're Going to Lose That Girl

July 27, 2005 2:47 PM A Remote Cabin In Virginia

Lucy and Skylar had dozed off an on throughout the day. Only untied from the chairs once to use the bathroom and to be force fed stale peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, they had been model prisoners. Lucy had kept her eye out for any sort of escape opportunity, but plans were slow to form in her scared and exhausted mind.

The tall blond man named Sonny cruelly mentioned at regular intervals that they were miles away from civilization and a working phone and that there were many animals outside that loved the taste of little girls. He also whispered something in Skylar's ear that made the girl begin to cry again and the man laughed as he and Buddy went out the door in order to check the perimeter. It was the first time that the two girls had been alone together. They had talked sporadically during the morning and early afternoon, but this was the first chance to actually have a conversation.

"Skylar, are you OK?"

"I'm scared."

"Me too, but my Mom taught me always to be brave, and to never give up. She'll find me. And she has all of these friends in the FBI they will find us." Lucy felt no twinge of guilt at the exaggeration, Booth would have friends, and they would help her Mom. No question about that.

"What if they can't find us?"

"They have to find us. I have a birthday cake waiting at home for me. I'm ten years old today." Skylar stared at her.

"We just got kidnapped, and it's your birthday?"

Lucy grinned, trying to look happier than she truly felt. "Quite an adventure, isn't it?"

Skylar looked stunned, "I thought you said you were scared."

"I am, but I'm choosing to be brave. My Mom, she's so brave and I want to be just like her. I want her to be proud of me." Skylar nodded, Lucy may look brave, but her voice shook ever so slightly and her eyes looked red as if she wanted to cry. Still Lucy was helping Skylar to be brave too and Skylar was grateful.

The two men who had kidnapped Lucy returned to the small cabin and suddenly, without warning, a plan had formed in Lucy's mind. She quickly went into actress mode. She worked up some fake tears and blinked sweetly at the men as Skylar stared in amazement.

"I have to go to the bathroom, please. I can't hold it anymore." The shorter man, Buddy, that she had bitten the previous evening laughed, but he cut her knots and roughly shoved her towards the bathroom. He flicked on the lights for her and reminded her that there were no windows and that he would be waiting right outside the door. The bathroom was much nicer than Lucy would have predicted from the run down condition of the rest of the cabin. It had a tub/shower combo and a lighted medicine cabinet over the sink. It even had a lock that Lucy slid in place as she made her way through the small room.

Lucy quickly took care of her business, but really had only one purpose in mind. Her eyes stared at the mirror and as she flushed the toilet she carefully considered the scented candle in a heavy glass jar resting on its tank. She turned the sink on and quickly washed her hands and deciding not to think anymore, she picked up the jar and hurled it at the mirror with all of her strength. The glass of the mirror shattered and the jar rolled unharmed to the floor. She heard shouting on the other side of the door as the man tried the knob, but couldn't get in. Lucy quickly replaced the candle on the back of the toilet and put the two largest shards of glass in her shirt pocket, and left behind a scrap of her pajamas in the corner of the room, just in case she was removed from the cabin. Then she worked up some crocodile tears and unlocked the door.

"I'm sorry, mister. I didn't mean to. I was looking for soap so I could wash my hands, and I guess I shut the door too hard and it shattered. I'm sorry. I'll pay for it when I get home. I get an allowance, and I have some money saved up. You can have it." The man just laughed his evil laugh and called her a stupid girl. She kept up her sad facade and was impressed by her own acting abilities. The man had led her back to her chair and began to tie her up again.

"No, please. Don't tie me up. I'll be good. I won't run away or anything. I'll get lost or something out there will eat me. Please, please, don't tie me back up. The shorter man looked at his crony, "what do you say, Sonny? Think she's pulling one over on us?"

"Take a length of rope and tie her to the bedpost and her wrist. Let her move around a bit. We ain't going anywhere, and neither is she. Let the little runt have some fun."

The man tied up her right wrist and giving her about five feet of rope, attached the other end to the solid bedpost. Once he seemed satisfied with the job, he went to clean up the broken mirror and Sonny left once again to check the perimeter, reasoning that his partner in crime was only a few feet away. As soon as the front door closed behind him, Lucy's tears stopped and she smiled at a shocked Skylar.

"They just made a big mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"Skylar, I can't quite reach you. Can you scoot back a little bit?"

"I think so." Using her tip-toes, the girl managed to move her chair a few feet until Lucy could reach her. Removing one of the glass pieces she sawed through the rope tying Skylar to the chair.

"What are you doing, Lucy?"

"Shh. I'm cutting through your ropes. Don't draw attention." Lucy worked silently for a few minutes until the ropes slid onto the floor.

Skylar picked up the rope and looked at Lucy.

"Aren't you going to cut yourself free?"

"No, not yet. You have to hide."

"What?"

"You need to be safe, then I'll worry about me."

"I don't like it."

"I know, but they are going to be suspicious of me after I broke the mirror. OK, listen to me. Put the chair back in the position it was in." Skylar moved to obey, moving the chair as quietly as possible, until it was well out of Lucy's reach. "Good, now go open the back door, just a crack." Skylar peeked out of the window first and after seeing no one, she opened the door slightly.

"Now what?"

"Hide under the bed."

"What?"

"It may be light out now, but you don't know where you are going. You could get lost, you are safest if you stay here, but they think that you are gone."

"I don't get it."

"I am going to tell them that you got loose and you ran away. They will look for you outside the cabin, but they won't be able to find you. And you will be safe and warm here, under the bed. There's a big dust ruffle, they won't notice you."

"But what about you?"

"I'll have my chance. And here, take this, just in case." Lucy handed one glass shard to the girl.

Skylar nodded and moved under the bed, just as they heard footsteps coming towards the front door. She whispered, "I'm scared."

"It's OK, but be brave now and be really quiet under the bed." Skylar nodded and scooted under the bed, making sure that the dust ruffle kept her hidden.

Lucy worked up her fake tears again, just as the three men entered the room simultaneously, Sonny with the man who had kidnapped Skylar and Buddy emerging from the bathroom holding a bucket of broken mirror. All three men began shouting at her.

"Where is the other girl?"

Lucy tried to sound convincing. She hoped that did not get her acting skills from her mother, which would have been a dead give-away. "I don't know. She got loose and told me that she was going home. She wouldn't untie me, and she just ran out the back door." A cross-breeze pushed the door open slowly and it creaked as it swung on its hinges as if confirming Lucy's story.

The man with silver hair howled in frustration, "What the hell is wrong with you guys? You let a nine year old girl escape! You two have effed everything up. Tie up the other one better, don't let her get loose. I was supposed to make the calls in a couple hours, get the ball rolling on the exchanges, I can't trust you goons to do anything. One more mistake out of the two of you and it's bullets in your heads next. You know what I'm capable of. If you don't want a bullet in your brain, I can poison you, like I got De Niro. At the very least set you up like I did the redhead. Straighten up, and do not let this girl out of your sight. I'm going to go get the other one back."

With that, the man with silver hair stormed out the back door, screaming for Skylar. The windows rattled as the door slammed, and Lucy jumped at the noise. She hoped that the men would believe her story, she didn't want the other girl to be punished for her plan. But the men seemed to have no clue that their other victim was still in the room, and Lucy's confidence was restored.

Lucy slowly quieted her fake tears. When the men weren't looking at her, she smiled softly to herself. She had just heard a confession out of the boss, Skylar was relatively safe and she knew that Booth was coming. She could feel it in her gut. She just had to bide her time, and when it came, Lucy would be ready.


	35. Here Comes the Sun

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: I am on a roll! My story is coming to a close and I am looking forward to getting all of the remaining chapters posted. So keep an eye out. Enjoy.

Chapter 35: Here Comes the Sun

July 27, 2005 3:52 PM The Hoover Building

Booth sat in his desk chair, literally twiddling his thumbs. He had napped briefly in his chair while waiting for news, but Brennan had now spent hours pacing the floor, trying to burn off the excess nervous energy that had been gnawing at her for hours. Booth was once again amazed at her strength and stamina. Still, he worried about her as well. She hadn't eaten anything since dinner the night before, and while he had at least choked down some coffee and some stale donuts, she wouldn't even sip the bottle of water that he had shoved into her hands several hours ago. She just nervously twisted the cap on the bottle back and forth.

The two partners had spent time going over anything that they could think of, hassling his techs and her scientists, but their pressure wasn't helping. Booth had done some good old fashioned investigating, but had unearthed nothing that his colleagues hadn't already found. And although he tried not to show it, the fact that no one could track down Hanson Miller was making him crazy. And so now they sat in his office, Booth attempting and failing to do anything productive.

Caroline Julian walked in, without knocking, and gave Booth a look. She was not pleased.

"Booth, I know you're worried, but you know I have actual work that you could be doing."

"What can I do, Caroline? My hands are tied. We don't have a location, we have accomplices but no actual motive. I've got hunches but no evidence. And as you can see, I've got my hands a little full here." He gestured toward Brennan who had at finally seated herself. She seemed to realize that she was holding a bottle of water and sipped it carefully. Slightly appeased, Booth turned his focus back to the lawyer, a bemused expression on her face.

"Stop the pity party. Our buddy, Saul, came through. Got Linda's lawyer in here, she isn't happy, but she is going to talk. Care to see if she is a little more cooperative for the sake of her daughter? Or would you like to stay here and stare at your hands?"

Booth rubbed his hands together, "Yeah, I'm ready. Bones, you should stay here. Maybe try and rest a bit. I'll let you know everything that I find out once we get her talking." Brennan nodded and took another sip of water.

Caroline raised an eyebrow at Booth. "She's actually going to listen to you?"

He shrugged, "I guess that there is a first time for everything." The lack of fight in Brennan worried him. But he had no time to dwell on that fact. He had a suspect to question.

Linda was still dressed in the clothing from the previous day, and looked even more disheveled than she had the previous day. She seemed to express genuine concern that her daughter was missing, but tried not to give anything away that would haunt her in the future. Booth, however, had no patience for her evasiveness and went right for the throat.

At the mention of Hanson Miller, she flinched, and Booth had all the corroboration he had been looking for. Miller was involved. Linda's lawyer was crafty and despite Caroline and Booth's combined efforts, Linda gave up little information. She had no idea why Miller, if he was at the scene of the crime, would have continued with murder. She insisted that the target had been Steven. In all of their bedroom chats, Joe had never been mentioned, and Hanson seemed to not care about anything but her happiness. Linda insisted that Miller didn't get his hands dirty. All he wanted was the money to pass along. He only wanted to do her bidding and set her free. He wasn't a bad man, she insisted. Even her own lawyer scoffed at that idea.

A dim light bulb burned brighter in Booth's mind when Charlie interrupted the interrogation with some new information. Sonny and Buddy had each had an account with twenty thousand dollars stashed away. It was well hidden, and had taken all day for the forensic accountants to find. In fact, they were still trying to trace the original source of the money.

Booth thanked Charlie and turned back to Linda and her lawyer. "Wait, you paid ten grand for the hit? That makes no sense. The mechanics at Goodfellas got paid 15 between the three of them, and Costello and Reardon each got twenty. Who actually shelled out all of this extra money? It was either a jealous brother or a jealous loser, both of whom you have slept with. Now who was it that footed the bill for this operation, or did you cough it all up yourself?"

Linda stared at him blankly. She honestly had no idea what Booth was talking about. It was clear that although she had given up Miller as her go-between, the last piece of the puzzle was still missing. She had given him ten grand and assumed that the deed would be done. End of story. Linda's lawyer tried to end the meeting shortly thereafter and Booth reluctantly agreed. He quietly left the room, but couldn't keep the look of disgust off of his face.

Caroline walked with Booth back to his office, trying to discuss the next step, but once again his phone interrupted the conversation. He didn't even get a chance to speak before an excited voice began shouting in his ear. Brennan was still sitting in the same chair, but she stood when she recognized the voice on the phone and strained to listen. Booth quickly put the speaker on, and the entomologist spoke quickly.

"Booth, it's Hodgins. You aren't going to believe this. I could totally be a detective. I think I know where they are. I am King of the Lab, and Zack is my humble Jester." Hodgins covered the phone but Booth could hear the two men arguing over who had cracked the case.

"Hodgins, shut up and tell me what you know." Brennan looked at him curiously and he mouthed a "not now" at her.

"Sorry, I pulled in Zack to help me work through the soil particulates from the boot print."

"So Zack was looking through dirt with you?"

"Don't call it dirt."

"Hodgins! Point, now!"

"The boot print contained a nickel-iron alloy. Totally unique. Didn't match any of the natural substances that I recognized. I had no idea what it was and then Zack suggested that it could have come from outer space."

"So an alien rock is going to tell us where to find Lucy?"

"Not an alien rock, a meteorite."

"Excuse me?"

"When people find meteors, they take lots of information on them. Where it was found, its composition, size, et cetera."

Caroline and Booth shared a look, this man must be crazy. Caroline was trying to figure out how she would get a judge to issue a warrant on a bit of outer space. She honestly didn't know what to make of Booth's squints. There was a reason that she stayed away from labs and didn't bother to learn to name of the forensic guys. They drove her crazy. For his part, Booth was trying to understand just a small piece of what Hodgins was still babbling about. Booth questioned the bug man, "And the dirt you found had a meteorite in it?"

"Yes, a trace amount. I was able to access some NASA records, some lackeys have been entering in all of this information into data bases for decades. If you know what you are looking for, you can get some valuable information. Anyway, the sample from the print matched an entry in the database. It was found on a family's land in Virginia. Apparently left a large crater and started a small fire. It was almost 40 years ago, but last year, a grad student accessed the same information. He's an ecologist, working on his thesis. He went around to all of these sites in Virginia trying to look at recovery rates of forests that have been destroyed by various disasters: fires, tornadoes, floods and so on."

"Hodgins, do you know how to edit?" Brennan glared at Booth. He just shrugged, and Caroline suppressed another grin. She may dislike squints, but these two together, they were just precious.

"Sorry. Anyway, this guy has a ton of information, and he happens to attend my alma mater. I got his number and he told me what I needed to know. I've got to write him a job recommendation for every position for the next twenty years, but it was totally worth it. He told me that he visited the meteorite site. It's become a pond and there is a family cabin not to far from the area. And according to this student, the property belongs to a Laurie Burke. He needed her permission to take samples from the property."

"Who the hell is Laurie Burke?" Once again, Booth found a calming hand on his arm. He took in a deep breath and focused again on Hodgins.

"Hanson Miller's mother. Cam ran a search with the two names, called in some favors of her own. Laurie is Hanson's mother, he's kept the cabin in her name, trying to evade paying taxes on it, probably. And there is more."

"Don't stop talking now."

"Cam looked up Laurie Burke. She's been married five times. Real prize, by the way. Anyway, husband number three was named Louis Costello."

"And Louis has a son named Frank?"

"Bingo, baby."

"So Hanson Miller has access to a property that we can forensically link all our suspects to?"

"Yes, and I have directions."

"Hodgins, I owe you a beer." Brennan looked like she wanted to say something as well, but remained silent.

"Sounds good, man. Let us know when you know anything. I'm heading back to the hospital. Good luck, and be careful."

Booth's phone buzzed with a text that held the directions and Caroline was already calling for a warrant. Brennan had sat back down, incredibly nervous now that they had a good idea where her daughter was hidden. She felt nauseous, but Booth sensed her distress, and now it was her turn to feel his palm on her shoulder. She managed to sit up a little bit straighter. A smirk from Caroline was returned with a scowl by Booth, which only made her look more impish.

Booth was now putting his own team together in order to create a plan to rescue the two kidnapped girls, when an agent ran into Booth's office, breathing hard.

"I know where they are. Miller's mother owns a cabin in Virginia. Took forever to track down. It's a great place for privacy and to keep kidnapping victims."

"Kid, we are two steps ahead of you."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Trust me, you don't even want to know." Booth made eye contact with Brennan and they shared a secret smile. Her team really was the best in the world. They had done their job, and now it was time for Booth to do his.


	36. It Won't Be Long

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Another chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 36: It Won't Be Long

July 27, 2005 7:20 PM Burke Cabin, Virginia

Agents approached a garage on foot. They had left their vehicles out of sight of the buildings, trying to gain an advantage by sneaking up to the property. Carefully prying open the door, wincing at the slight creak, the agents peered inside. Aside from a muddy van, the shed was empty. Agents Stuart and Davis approached the van and opened the back door. It was also empty. Turning on their flashlights they did a cursory inspection of the car. Davis came out with a scrap of blue cloth in her gloved hand.

"Dr. Brennan, does this look familiar at all?" Brennan didn't have to look too hard, she was a trained observer.

"Yes, yes. Lucy has pajamas with that fabric on them. They are her favorites."

Stuart chimed in, "Well that means we're close. Davis, let's head up the path. There should be a main house."

Booth spoke to the agents, but kept his eyes on Brennan the entire time. "Proceed with extreme caution, do NOT make a move until I get up there." The agents left, gathering the other back up as they began to walk up the hill.

"Bones, I need you to stay here. I can't be worried about you and Lucy."

"If you think that I am just going to stay here while they have my daughter."

"Please, Bones, please." His last word trailed off as he noticed something else in the garage. "Bones, does that look like new cement to you?"

"Concrete, Booth. Cement is an ingredient in concrete." He glared at her.

"You are really going to correct me. Now?"

"I'm sorry, it's what I do." He couldn't help but smile at her words.

"Well, what are the odds we find a fake leg and some teeth under there?"

Brennan didn't respond. She had noticed a dim light ahead in the woods. The shed no longer held any interest for her.

"There's the main house. She's got to be there. Booth, what if? What…" She was unable to provide an ending to her sentence.

"Don't even put that out there, Bones. We..." He paused, "We, members of the FBI that is, will go and get your daughter. Just stay here, please. I need to know that you are safe. I don't want anything to happen to you. You are my partner, I have to protect you."

It was the use of that strange, new word partner that made her acquiesce.

"Please, be careful," she practically cried. She was shocked by the depth of her emotion. She prided herself on being rational at all times, and her emotional side was being exposed, against her will.

Booth just nodded in her direction, but for once, he missed the concerned tone in her voice. He had other things on his mind. He turned to walk away.

"Wait, Booth." Her voice was calling to him, and this time it grabbed his attention. Booth turned and she was right in his face. "Good luck." She grabbed his hand and squeezed once. He squeezed back before releasing her hand.

"Thanks, Bones. I'll bring her back to you. I promise." With that he walked out of the shed and stalked towards the main cabin.

He met the agents at the top of the hill, right outside the cabin. Dusk had fallen and the added darkness provided extra cover.

"Stu, report."

"Two men inside, I see Lucy, she's tied up, but relatively unharmed, conscious anyway. I don't see Miller or Skylar. His car isn't here, I assume he has the other girl at another location. I don't know if there is another building on the property, it's possible. There are a lot of side paths here, and it's getting dark, after we secure the cabin we'll explore more. Oh, and there's the back door, got to make sure no one goes out that way. What's the call, boss?"

Booth analyzed the information and made his decision. "Count of three, we go in. Stu, you take Costello, Charlie, you've got Reardon. I go straight for Lucy. Mac, you've got our backs." Booth quickly assigned two agents to come in the back door and act as back up. Booth assigned one last agent, the most junior to make sure that Brennan stayed out of the cabin. The boy was likely going to be tried by fire, but Booth had to keep Brennan safe. He knew her well enough to know that she wasn't going to stay away for long.

Guns blazing, Booth took a deep breath and gave the signal. Six agents stormed into the cabin. The sudden appearance of the agents startled the men whose guard had become lax after being awake for over thirty hours. It was no contest really, and no shots were fired. All agents were relieved, even if it did seem anticlimactic. Fleetingly, Booth thought that they were relieved that they had been caught. They wanted it to be over, and they did not struggle. Charlie and two agents were soon leading the men out of the cabin and Booth was happy to see them go. Booth was only vaguely aware of the chaos around him as he had run to his partner's daughter.

"FBI guy, you're late!"

"Not a time for jokes, Squirt." But secretly Booth was thrilled. If she could joke about the ordeal, she must be all right.

"Booth, Skylar is under the bed." Booth had just finished untying her, and Lucy rubbed her arm absently.

"What?" He looked around the room as if trying to see where else the other girl could be. Mac and Stu also seemed not to believe that Skylar was in the cabin.

"I got her free and told her to hide. The dust ruffle hid her. You should probably get her out of here. She's really scared."

Booth, shocked, walked away from Lucy a few steps and peered under the side of the bed. A small frightened girl stared back at him.

"I'm one of the good guys, you're safe now. Here, give me your hand."

"No."

"I'm Booth. I met you at your Aunt Sharon's house. Remember?"

"No. Leave me alone."

Lucy's head appeared under the other side of the bed. "Skylar it's OK. He's the best, he's the good guy. It's time to be brave and take his hand." Skylar stayed under the bed not moving, until Lucy encouraged her again. The redhead nodded and trusting her friend, she took Booth's arm. Booth gently pulled her out from under the bed and handed the girl to Agent Davis. Mac whispered soothing sounds into the girl's ear as she backed towards the front door.

"We good here, boss?"

"Yeah, Stu. Go out with Mac. I'll be right behind you." Stu nodded and began to follow the female agent and her charge towards the front door. Booth and Lucy had smiled at each other from across the bed, letting their guard down for one moment. It was at that moment, when Booth's gut kicked in. For once, it was a second too late. Miller had barged in the back door, his gun pointed directly at Lucy.

Stu had stepped in front of Mac and Skylar, shielding them from danger,while simultaneously cocking his own gun. Booth's gun was also quickly drawn, but Miller was fast and desperate. He scooped up Lucy, using her as his own shield, preventing the sniper-trained agent from getting a clean shot. Lucy attempted to struggle until Booth told her forcefully to stop moving. He then confronted Miller.

"Miller, put her down and drop your weapon. No one gets hurt. We go by the book."

"No way. The only one walking out of here is me. It's over."

"Of course it's over. You have two agents with guns on you."

"Yes, but, I've still got the girl." Miller squeezed the girl tighter around her waist. A flash of movement grabbed Miller's attention. He noticed the redheaded girl for the first time and was distracted, but not enough to release his hostage.

"Where the hell did she come from? Where has she been this whole time? I've been in the woods for hours looking for her."

Lucy smiled triumphantly. "She was under the bed. I knew you were too dumb to look under there."

It was the wrong thing to say, and a furious Miller moved his gun a little closer to her head. Booth swallowed.

Lucy looked at her hero and made a decision. She was a Brennan, and she could help, she would help. Her arms were free, and silently she moved her hand into her pocket and pulled out her last precious shard of broken glass. Booth saw something glint as she moved her hand out of her pocket but was unsure what she was going to do at first. She then flashed the little mirror piece at Booth so that he could see the jagged edge. Miller's gaze had been so focused on Booth that he did not notice any of Lucy's movements. She nodded at Booth, who shook his head. But he couldn't stop her from her rash decision. He tensed his body ready for the one moment that he hoped he would get.

Lucy shouted, "Booth, now!" She then plunged the mirror shard right into Miller's arm. The glass cut into her palm as it bit into his arm. He yelped and released his grip on her. She fell to the floor.

Outside the cabin, Brennan had finally broken free from the junior agent's grip with a well aimed shin kick and started rushing towards the cabin. The shot that rang out, however, stopped her in her tracks.


	37. I Saw Her Standing There

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: OK, the chapter that you have probably been waiting for. So without further ado...

Chapter 37: I Saw Her Standing There

July 27, 2005 7:41 PM Burke Cabin, Virginia

The gun shot reverberated through the cabin. Everyone in the room remained motionless in shock, silently checking themselves for the tell-tale sign of blood on their clothing. But, Booth had done his job. He had clipped Miller in the shoulder, forcing him to drop his own weapon. Agent Stuart had then sprung to life, cuffing Miller. Booth holstered his weapon and was working his way toward Lucy, who had the sense enough to scramble away from the politician turned criminal. Seeing that all of the men who had kidnapped her were in custody and that Skylar was safely in the hands of Agent Davis, Lucy realized that she was finally safe and she jumped into Booth's arms.

"You all right, Squirt?"

"I'm better now. I'm really glad you are here. I knew that you would come."

"You weren't easy to find. Happy Birthday, by the way."

"Thanks. Is it really still my birthday?" She looked at him expectantly.

"For a few hours at least." He smiled, a warm reassuring smile that reached all the way to his eyes. It was a smile that she couldn't help returning. Her mind worked at a Brennan's pace however, and she quickly sobered.

"Is Aunt Angela, OK? I'm really worried about her."

"She'll be fine. Couldn't have found you without her." The smile was back on both of their faces.

"And Mom?"

"She's right outside. I'm surprised she hasn't burst in here. I told her to stay safe, and to stay away."

"So where is she?" Lucy grinned and then buried herself into Booth's chest, feeling truly safe for the first time in over twenty-two hours.

"You can go out with Agent Stuart. I want a word with Miller." Booth heard a muffled "no" as she grasped her arms around his neck tighter.

"It's OK, Lucy. Stu is my friend, and your Mom is right outside the cabin. It will be fine. I'll be right out and you are safe. I promise." He noticed for the first time that his shirt was slightly damp. First, where her face had pressed against him, and second, the back of his shirt was feeling a little sticky. Lucy had released her death grip. He set her gently on the floor, and took a look at her injured hand that was bleeding profusely. He quickly pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and wrapped it around the gash.

"I'm no medical expert, but it will work for a little while." He offered her a sheepish smile that she mirrored.

"Thanks, FBI guy." Lucy hugged him one last time.

Stuart interrupted, "Boss, what do you want me to do with this scum? I've already read him his rights."

"Take Lucy to Dr. Brennan, and get a medic to check her out. I'll be out in a moment. It's fine, Squirt, go with Stu." The other agent took her uninjured hand and led Lucy out of the cabin. Booth breathed a sigh of relief that she was officially out of danger and that she would be reunited with her mother. Still, it was hard to watch her leave his sights.

"All right Miller, it's just you and me. Anything you want to say before I bring a world of hurt and lawyers upon you?"

Miller was in pain and bleeding from his shoulder and arm; with no where to run, he finally gave up. "You were never supposed to find his body, no body no crime. I set Linda up. I knew that she wanted to leave her husband, so I made myself available. We were in the same places all the time, and finally after some stupid luncheon and several Cosmos, I got her attention. I slept with her a couple times, waiting for the opening. She told me that she wanted to leave her husband, and I suggested that I could make that happen. And I took her pathetic ten thousand dollars and told her that she would be free. And then I went after Joseph. If anyone ever found him, all the money trails, the motive it led to Linda. I thought it was lucky for me that my enemy had a twin whose wife hated him. Her motives threw suspicion off of me. She was supposed to go down for this, not me!"

Booth looked at the man in disgust as he forced him toward the door, being slightly rougher than necessary. "Care to elaborate on why you killed an innocent man?" Booth didn't really need to hear this part of the confession, he already knew what Miller was going to say.

"Do you know how long I worked to get to where I was at? I started with nothing. Crappy parents, crappy home life. But I got my act together, got myself through college, made myself a fortune, and then I started building up my political career. I kissed babies, visited old ladies in nursing homes, set everything up. I was ahead in all the polls, and then out of nowhere GI Joe swoops in and takes everything away from me. Took my district, and was so freaking perfect. J Freaking K, that's who he was. I couldn't compete with that. But he didn't deserve it. I worked for it, everything was handed to him on a silver platter. He stole what was mine and he had to pay, and I don't care who else had to suffer as long as he went down!"

"Why'd you dump the body at Shenandoah, why didn't you just put him under all that concrete in the shed? We never would have found it, and you could go on with your happy life."

Miller began laughing maniacally. It took everything in Booth's willpower not to punch the man. "That was the plan, but the thought of his smiling face underneath my cabin for all eternity, I couldn't handle it. I didn't want him here, but we did everything we could to make sure you never figured out who he was or how we were involved. I still don't know how you found us. Tell me how you did it."

Booth said nothing and only marched the man down the path. Booth noticed that a myriad of ambulances and squad cars had approached the cabin now that the situation was under control. He pushed Miller towards some armed officers and a free medic, knowing that the shoulder required attention, even if Booth wanted nothing more than to throw the guy in a jail cell for the rest of his life. Booth as he released his collar into the custody of the other agents leaned into the man's ear, whispering in a menacing tone. "It wasn't just me, it was the whole team. Never bet against us. We are the best in the world and we always get our man." Booth then straightened up and signaled to the agents.

"Take him away, boys." The agents nodded at Booth, and he released another sigh of relief. His eyes searched for the two people that he wanted to see the most. He saw Skylar settled in her father's arms, both of them teary eyed and flanked by newly arrived agents. He found Stu leaning against an SUV, waiting for further instructions. Stuart had barely walked out of the cabin when the girl had broken from his grasp and run towards the anthropologist.

"Mommy!" Lucy had jumped into her mother's arms and Brennan had squeezed her tight.

"Hi Baby." Brennan had hugged her daughter, holding on for dear life. They were still in that position when Booth finally caught up to them.

His heart thudded in his chest as he witnessed the reunion. Brennan was whispering "my baby," over and over again, while Lucy clung silently to her mother. Lucy finally spoke.

"Mom, you hate nicknames."

"I know, baby."

"I love you, Mommy. I knew you would save me."

"I love you, more than anything."

Booth didn't want to interrupt, and he was still debating on what to say when a medic came up to the two women and cleared his throat loudly. "Sorry, Ma'am. I've got to take a look at the girl. Make sure she's fine."

Booth finally found his voice, "Hey, pal. Give them a minute. It's been a long day."

Lucy had reluctantly released her mother, and put on a brave face. "Mom, it's only a cut, a few bruises and bumps, and maybe a minor concussion." Lucy had reached for the hand of the medic and Brennan had started to follow. Lucy suddenly stopped and turned to face her mother. "Mom, I love you, but give us a minute. I don't need you beating up a medic. FBI guy, keep an eye on her, please."

Brennan kept following the girl and the medic. Lucy turned again, "Mom, just give the guys a chance to examine me, uninterrupted." Brennan's tendency to take over when doctor's were present was a long standing thorn in Lucy's side. She was still embarrassed over the time she had fractured an arm in karate and her mother had terrorized two doctors and an entire nursing staff. But mostly, Lucy just didn't want to see her mother's worry over her injuries. Lucy felt fine right now, but she knew enough about adrenaline to know that in a few minutes she could be in substantial pain. Her mother had been worried enough lately, a few minutes of calm and quiet would be good.

Booth reached for Brennan's arm and kept her from following the girl. "I know it's hard, Bones. She just doesn't want to worry you."

"Booth, she is a minor. I am in charge of all medical decisions."

"I know, but give her five minutes. She doesn't want you lashing out at the good guys." Brennan huffed in defeat.

"She knows me too well." He chuckled slightly.

"Yeah, she does. Are you all right? It's been an awful day."

"I'm fine. She's safe and relatively unharmed. _I'm fine_." He was staring at her in disbelief, despite her assurances that she was, indeed, fine. They were lit only by the headlights of several vehicles, but he could make out her face. She was not fine. Pulling her away from spectacle before them, he led her away from the blinding lights and gave her some privacy, knowing that she would not want anyone to see her weakness.

Standing by themselves in the near dark, Booth was now unsure what to do. He just wanted to reassure her that everything was fine, good in fact. Lucy was safe. "Come here, Bones." She did not move. He stepped towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She looked at him curiously, squinting in the darkness.

"It's a guy hug, Bones. Just accept it." She nodded and wrapped her own arms around the agent, before pulling away, taking two backwards steps and looking at him awkwardly. He tried to ease the tension. "We make a pretty good team, don't we? You, me, and the Squints? We got our man and rescued two girls. Not a bad day's work, really." She nodded, overwhelmed by the events of the last twenty four hours.

The only conscious thought in Brennan's head at that point was the desire to be as close as possible to the man who had proved himself a partner and a friend. The man who had kept his promise, even when she had begun to doubt him. Impulsively, she stepped towards him, flinging her arms around his neck and pressing her lips to his. Instinctively, he pulled her closer, and when she didn't resist, he deepened the kiss. His heart skipped beat after beat as she pressed even closer to him. It was inappropriate, and unprofessional, and so wrong, but it felt right. It felt wonderful. He would have gone on kissing her forever, but the universe must have had other plans. One of the ambulances was leaving, and the short blaring of a siren broke them apart, startled by the sharp noise.

Booth felt slightly dizzy and took a few steadying breaths, a stunned expression on his face. But Brennan seemed to have not even realized that she had just had her partner's tongue in her mouth. Instead, she began spouting off a lengthy to-do list, walking back towards the crowd and straight for the ambulance that held her daughter. "I need to go check on Lucy. I'm going to ride with her to the hospital, I want her at GW, and to have an MRI if she's got a concussion, and I want to check on Angela. Her wrist injuries worried me, and I want to take a look at her films, too."

Booth took several gulps of air, and then he too made his way toward the ambulance, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to calm his rapidly beating heart back into a normal rhythm. He was sure that Brennan would have a logical explanation for that kiss, no doubt one involving brain chemicals and things that he would never understand. He took a few quick steps and caught up to his partner, resting his hand on her back. He breathed a sigh of relief when she did not pull away. In fact, she stepped slightly closer to him until they finally came back to the ambulance, and once again her focus was entirely on her daughter. Booth watched the mother and child until the doors closed and the paramedics started on the long trip back to DC. It was only then that Booth got into his own car and started the engine, following his girls all of the way back home.


	38. Birthday

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: Hello friends. I'm glad that you guys enjoyed the last chapter. Your reviews were incredible. There are only two chapters to go for this tale, after this one. Enjoy.

Chapter 38: Birthday

July 28, 2005 8:03 AM George Washington Hospital

Lucy woke to a throbbing hand and a heavy weight across her legs. Momentarily confused, she blinked against the harsh light of the hospital room. The events from the night before came flooding back and she had one anxious moment where she was back in the cabin with guns drawn all around her. And then she noticed what had made the subtle pressure on the rest of her body.

The gentle weight on her legs had been made by her Mom and Booth. They had fallen asleep on chairs on opposite ends of her bed, each with an arm extended over her body, grasping each others' forearms. It looked terribly uncomfortable to Lucy. Still, Aunt Angela would have called it adorable, and Lucy decided that the most appropriate word was right. She sat quietly watching the two adults. Both had fallen asleep facing Lucy, their heads resting on their shoulders. Feeling slightly overwhelmed, Lucy reached out her uninjured hand to touch her mother's face. Brennan did not stir and Lucy pulled her hand back, trying not to disturb the two adults who were even in their sleep, protecting her.

The sound of a squeaking wheel drew Lucy's focus away from her mother and Booth. Sitting in a wheelchair, bruised but smiling was Angela. Hodgins was pushing the chair looking exhausted but just as ecstatic. Lucy waved furiously after pressing a finger to her lips to keep the squints quiet. There were soon three awake people staring at the two sleeping ones until Hodgins cleared his throat. Lucy and Angela shot him a death glare, but he only looked slightly sheepish. At the noise both Booth and Brennan began to wake, their hands still gripping each others' arms. They blinked at the harsh lights and made eye contact. Their arms flew apart as if they were shrapnel and they each covered their embarrassment by turning their attention to Lucy.

"Hi Lucy."

"Hey Squirt."

Lucy turned to the partners, waving once again to the couple in the doorway. "Hi Mom, Hey FBI guy. Hi Aunt Angela, Hodgins." Booth acknowledged Angela and Hodgins with first a nod and then he walked around the bed to clasp Jack's shoulder and give Angela a gentle hug around her injuries. Brennan had focused solely on her daughter, but no one could blame her.

"How are you feeling, Lucy?"

"I'm OK, I guess. My hand hurts a little bit, but it isn't bad, not really. And I guess that my head is a little bit sore, but don't worry, Mom. I remember a doctor saying that there weren't any fractures." Brennan nodded slightly as she pressed the call button for a nurse, her daughter shouldn't be in any pain.

"I'll take a look at the scans when I get a chance. I'd like to see for myself."

Hodgins had wheeled Angela closer to the bed so that the hospitalized members of their group could properly great each other, before walking out of the room without explanation.

"Aunt Angela, I'm really glad to see you!"

"Me too, Sweetie. It's very good to see you." The two girls continued to chat merrily about mundane topics as Brennan and Booth observed. The nurse came in and administered a few medications and took a look at Lucy's more serious wounds and then left quietly, not wanting to disturb the little family more than was necessary.

Eventually Angela changed topics, "Sorry, I missed your birthday. It's probably better that we never got to that cake, anyway. We are terrible at baking."

"But excellent at frosting."

"That's the truth. Hodgins, that's your cue." Hodgins came in with a cart that he had commandeered from the gift shop and bribed a candy stripper into wheeling it to the outside of Lucy's room. Loaded on it was a vase of daisies, several wrapped presents, a silver bag with blue ribbon, and about a dozen cups of pudding.

Hodgins grinned at Booth, who returned the conspiratorial look. "Happy birthday, Squirt. Jack and I, we managed to scare up a few presents, and dessert."

"I love pudding." Lucy beamed at the men.

"See, Squirt. I knew that there was a reason that I liked you. Now, I picked out the flowers. The gift shop has very limited options at two in the morning, but I liked them. Oh, and open my present first. It's from Parker, actually. He was really excited about it. Hodgins, hand our girl the silver bag."

Lucy unwrapped the stuffed monkey and squealed. "He's awesome. What's his name?"

"Ringo."

She smiled. "So my monkey is a drummer. I like it. Mom, maybe when my hand is healed I can get a drum set. I never thought of learning a percussion instrument."

Brennan nodded, "I'll take it under advisement." Lucy smiled. She didn't really want a drum set, but a guitar would be an excellent compromise later.

"Tell Parker thanks. And I love his shirt. It's perfect. And the daisies were a nice touch, too. Mom and I both love daisies. Thanks a lot." Lucy kissed the monkey on the top of his head and then tucked it in tightly beside her. Angela beamed at the now blushing agent. The trip to the mall was worth every moment of embarrassment, then and now.

Angela piped in. "Me next, me next. Hodgins, the purple and orange box, please."

Lucy opened up the small box and moved from her bed to give her aunt a hug. Brennan gave a warning just in time, and Lucy slowed herself down before crushing the artist.

Angela had given Lucy a very funky necklace and bracelet that she had made herself as well as a pair of earrings.

"Does that mean I get to pierce my ears now?" She looked at her mother expectantly.

"You are ten years old. I believe that you are responsible enough to get your ears pierced." Lucy cheered and hugged her mother.

Hodgins handed over a thick package wrapped in newspaper. "Sorry about the wrapping paper. It's from Zack and me. Well I picked it out and paid for it, and wrapped it, but I signed Zack's name on the card. Which I also paid for, by the way." The adults chuckled and Lucy grinned once again, tearing at the paper and congratulating Hodgins on being environmentally friendly.

The book inside was an illustrated guide to local insects. Booth scoffed, "A book, Hodgins. Really?"

Lucy read her card as she responded to Booth. "No, FBI guy. I really wanted this one. It's the sixth edition, hardcover. Nice. Dr. Hodgins, are we really going to go do some field sampling when I get out of here?"

"Sure thing, gotta put a book like that to good use. Oh and next beetle race, first match, you and me. Five bucks to the winner." Hodgins winked at the girl, clearly he was going to be five dollars poorer soon.

The group fell into silence. Brennan stared awkwardly at the others, and Angela stepped in. "Sweetie, I have your gift to Lucy right here." Hodgins had handed Angela an envelope which she now handed to the anthropologist.

"Angela, where did you get this?"

"Sweetie, I know your hiding places. I just told Hodgins where to look in your office."

"Clearly, we need to have a talk about boundaries." Brennan stared down the entomologist, who raised up his hands in submission.

"Hey, blame your friend. I was just following orders."

Lucy wiggled her legs in impatience. "Mom, let it go, and give me my present." As an afterthought she added a rather whiny, "Please?"

Brennan handed over the envelope. Enclosed were two tickets to Japan. Lucy was speechless as she hugged her mother.

Booth whistled, "First class, too. Swanky."

Lucy looked at all four adults with tears in her eyes. "Thank you, everyone. It may not be the most fun location for a birthday party, but it's been the best birthday ever."

Brennan had started talking about the impossibilities of quantifying such a statement, but was stopped by a jab to the ribs from Booth. She frowned at him.

He just shook his head. "Squirt, who said this place isn't fun? We've got pudding!" He grabbed two off of the cart as well as a spoon, opening them both by somehow juggling them in a maneuver that even the Jeffersonian wouldn't be able to dissect.

"I'll take the chocolate one, please, FBI guy."

"I don't know what you are talking about. These are both for me." He grinned cheekily as Brennan swatted his arm and grabbed the chocolate pudding from his hand and handed it to her daughter. He was about to dig into his vanilla when she grabbed the spoon right out of his hand and also gave it to Lucy. Booth shrugged and stuck his finger into the pudding before scooping a large amount into his mouth.

Lucy shook her head, "Gross."

Booth stuck out his tongue, making Lucy laugh hysterically, the rest of the adults soon joining in, glad to just be having fun with each other.

They spent the morning together, chatting about the insects that Lucy was going to collect with Hodgins, about what shirt she owned that would go best with the necklace that Angela had made, and what cultural highlights were mandatory while in Tokyo. Booth, Angela and Lucy were in a heated debate about what Beatles song was the most superior when they were interrupted by a larger group. Several agents had popped in, armed with balloons and Caroline had walked in, armed with a small teddy bear and a large stack of papers.

Hodgins and Angela excused themselves in order to give the lawyer and the agents more space. Lucy gave her statement, holding her mother's hand the entire time. Booth had moved his chair next to Brennan, and while he never physically touched her, she could feel his warmth and was comforted. Lucy recounted everything that she remembered from her ordeal. She had managed to repeat verbatim most things that Miller had said, as well as Frank Costello and Patrick Reardon. She was calm as she explained everything that happened to her. She told about breaking the mirror and arming herself, getting Skylar free and safe under the bed. She recounted the final minutes of her hostage situation where she had stabbed Miller and how Booth had shot the man in the shoulder.

Caroline and the agents asked a few questions, but for the most part were satisfied with her telling of events. A doctor came by wanting to run one last test before releasing Lucy, and the agents took their cue to leave. Booth helped move Lucy into a wheelchair and watched as an orderly wheeled the girl away. Brennan grabbed her daughter's hand and followed the doctor.

Caroline looked at Booth pointedly. "That's one hell of a girl."

"I know."

"And her mother is one hell of a woman."

"Believe me, Caroline. _I know_."


	39. Like Dreamers Do

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: I was so close to a daily update yesterday, but I got home from work, ate dinner and decided to take a nap. I woke up ten hours later. Oops. Here is the penultimate chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 39: Like Dreamers Do

August 11, 2005 1:11AM The Brennans' Apartment

It had been a rough two weeks, for Brennan anyway. Lucy had had one restless night sleep at home after being released, but after that seemed to adjust just fine. She told anyone would listen about her adventure, about how brave Booth had been. How he and her mother's team had saved her. She proudly showed off the stitches on her hand, but only when her mother wasn't around. Anytime her mother looked at or cleaned the wound, she would flinch.

Brennan had trouble sleeping after bringing Lucy home. She had spent long nights, unable to rest. The first few nights she finished her book and sent it to several interested publishers, the next few nights she had done any sort of cleaning that she could accomplish without waking her daughter. Then she went over old files, amending reports as needed and every night, when she could no longer keep her eyes open she would lay down on her bed and close them.

Five minutes later she would crawl into Lucy's bed and pull the sleeping child close to her. It was only then that she could finally sleep. Sometimes she would awaken before her daughter and would start breakfast, but her exhaustion often meant that it was Lucy that would wake up first. Lucy would feel her mother's arms around her and quietly wait for the alarm to go off.

The first few nights weren't so bad, it was a comfort to have her mother nearby, actually, but on the sixth night Brennan had a nightmare. She had called out in her sleep and thrashed on the bed. Lucy had woken instantly, but did not know what to do. She shook her mother gently, and called her name, and finally her mother had calmed, never fully regaining consciousness. She had nightmares twice more during those two weeks, nightmares that woke and scared Lucy, but dreams that Brennan would seemingly not remember or mention in the morning.

The nightmares affected Lucy more than the kidnapping had, because her mother had always been invincible to her. In her mind, her mother and Booth were heroes who had saved her, and that was all she needed to know. But if Brennan was still worried, then Lucy would worry too. And like her mother, she pushed aside her fear and bravely faced each new day, hoping that everything would return to normal.

Normality did start to return, slowly, but it was a new normal. Booth was around often, bringing over dinner or at least dessert. He would call at Lucy's bedtime, say good night and needlessly remind them to lock their door and stay safe. The second weekend home, Booth had brought over Parker. Only Parker really felt like doing something, so they had gone to the park and kicked around a soccer ball until he was sufficiently tired.

They had then ordered a pizza and watched a movie together. It had been a pleasant day, but it left Brennan and Booth exhausted. They found themselves constantly looking over their shoulders while at the park. They had spent the rest of their time focusing on their children, trying not to focus on each other and how recent events had shaped their relationship as partners. Neither mentioned the kiss, both assuming that the other had thought it a mistake or possibly a figment of their imagination, and never broached the subject.

Brennan and Lucy had visited Angela every day in the hospital until she was able to be released. She had needed minor surgery on one wrist to properly reset it. Because of her severe concussion, the doctors had waited a few days before operating, keeping her under observation. Brennan, Booth and Zack had been surprised when Hodgins had volunteered to stay with Angela until she was recovered enough to care for herself. Lucy had only winked at Angela and whispered a "nice" into her ear. Angela had returned the gesture with a wide grin.

Brennan tried to insist that she would care for Angela, it was the least that she could do after everything Angela had done for her. But Angela waved away the kindness and reminded Brennan that she had Lucy to care for, and that if Hodgins needed help with anything, they had Brennan on speed dial. Booth had then changed the subject by inviting everyone to Wong Foo's for a celebratory dinner. Sid outdid himself with his meals, although the seven-organ soup that Hodgins had insisted on ordering gave him indigestion.

Brennan had been working "half days" at the Jeffersonian, focusing on skeletal storage. Dr. Goodman had insisted that she take time off, but working for only five or six hours in a day and often taking a full hour for lunch with Booth was the best compromise that she would make. She needed her work, it helped her to focus, helped her to stay calm, it helped her to compartmentalize.

At the end of those first two weeks, Brennan sat on her couch, rubbing her temples, utterly exhausted. Lucy had read to her for half an hour and Brennan had tucked her daughter in. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, Brennan powered up her laptop and finished the documentation for two soldiers that she had identified that day. She then set the laptop on her coffee table and had rested her head on a couch pillow. She would only rest for a moment, she told herself, and then she would go to bed. She would sleep on her own mattress, tonight, she promised herself that she would.

She woke up, two hours later, covered in sweat, tears running down her face and breathing heavily. Her nightmare had started with her parents driving away, laughing that they never wanted a daughter, that she was a failure and that was why they were leaving her behind. Her father's face had morphed into a nineteen year old Russ, who also laughed at her, called her names and then told her that Marco Polo was a stupid game and he never wanted to play it again. Russ' face faded into a parade of foster parents who sneered at her as they floated by, before morphing into the image of Thomas. He stood next to his mother, calling Brennan a whore who was trying to trap him in order to take advantage of their considerable wealth. Thomas had then punched her in the abdomen and his face became Booth's.

Booth's expression was gentle as he leaned forward and kissed her sweetly. He pulled away before she could respond, grateful for the kindness after being so upset, and instead of the smile she expected, he was leering at her. He had then grabbed a kicking and screaming Lucy, who had materialized out of nowhere. Brennan protested, but Booth handed Lucy over to Miller and his goons, all of whom had a sharp knife in one hand and a loaded gun in the other. Booth called her a terrible mother and told her that she deserved what happened, that she was meant to end up alone. He then pulled out his own gun from the holster and pointed it at Brennan. The crack of the gun firing was what forced her awake.

It had been the worst nightmare that she had had in years. She'd had variations of that nightmare before, but it was either of her parents leaving, or of Thomas dying in a Brazilian clinic, she had never had all of her worst memories distorted and linked together in the same dream. And Booth had never before appeared as such a terrifying image. She had not told anyone, not even Angela, that one night, days before the kidnapping, she had a very different sort of dream involving her and Booth. She had also woken from that dream, sweating and panting. It had been much more pleasant, but equally confusing.

Without thinking and still feeling the side-effects of her nightmare, she reached for her nearby phone. Ignoring the time, she pressed the number for the man who had earned himself a place on her speed dial. He picked up on the second ring, his voice panicked though veiled with sleepiness. "Bones, is something wrong? Where's Lucy? I can be there in ten minutes. I'm on my way. Dammit, where are my pants?"

"Booth, no, stop. Lucy and I are fine. I'm sorry, I don't know why I called. I'll talk to you tomorrow, or later today I suppose."

Booth's voice was concerned as he responded, "Temperance, what's wrong?"

"I had a vivid dream. It unnerved me. I'm sorry. I should have called Angela, or better yet, I should have just made myself a cup of tea and then gone back to bed. I just wasn't thinking rationally. I'm hanging up now. I'm sorry that I woke you up." He relaxed slightly, and climbed back into his bed.

"No, I'm glad you called. You had a nightmare. Want to talk about it? It helps Parker."

"Booth, I am not a child." He silently chuckled into the phone. She did indeed sound like a child, pouting, he would just never tell her that.

"I know that, I was just trying to say that I am a good listener."

"I know that you are a good listener. It is part of the reason why you are so effective at your job."

"Stop, Bones. You're making me blush." His tone was playful and while it was a foolish idea, she thought that she could sense him smiling through the phone.

"Goodnight, Booth. Thank you for answering my call. I'll talk to you later."

"OK, Bones. Sleep well." He was about to hang up the phone when he heard her voice, quiet and shy.

"Wait, please. If it isn't too much trouble, will you stay on the phone for a minute? I'm still a little apprehensive as a result of my brain's REM cycle."

His throat felt tight as he responded, "Course I'll stay. I'll even tell you a story."

"That isn't necessary."

"Part of the process. You get under your covers, nice and snug and I will tell you the story of Queen Temperance and how she saved the kingdom."

"Don't be silly, Booth." He could hear the slight rustle of fabric as she got into her bed and the annoyed but pleased tone of her voice. She did not stop him as he told her a silly story with many historical inaccuracies and anachronisms. She laughed on occasion, a soft sound like she was trying to muffle her amusement. Eventually, she was silent on the phone, but Booth continued his ridiculous tale until her even breathing on the phone told him that she had fallen asleep. He stopped his story, but he stayed on the phone, listening to her breathing, knowing that she was safe and resting peacefully. He closed his eyes and whispered, "Goodnight, Queen Temperance." With that, he too fell asleep, keeping the call connected until his battery died an hour later.


	40. If I Needed Someone

Disclaimer: I do not own Bones, but I am obsessed!

Author's Note: I did it! I finished a forty chapter fic. You readers have been so incredible. Your reviews, alerts and favorites have meant so much to me. So here is the final chapter. And if you are interested, there is a sequel in the works entitled "The Man in Black" There is a prologue that I am posting at the end of this chapter. The story itself will pick up a few months after this story ends. I should start posting the new fic starting in the new year. So keep an eye out for it. Thanks again for your support and Enjoy the final chapter of If I Needed Someone.

Chapter 40: If I Needed Someone

August 20, 2005 1:02 PM The Hodgins' Estate

The day started early for Angela and Hodgins, who had recruited a reluctant Zack to help them set up for Lucy's long postponed and long deserved birthday party. Hodgins had ended up footing the entire bill, coming clean to Angela about his considerable wealth, who had been suspicious of his Cantilever connections. He had even volunteered a corner of his property to hold the party, but did not mention to the general public that it was his place. He wanted to do something special for the girl, both because he cared for Lucy, but also because of how happy Angela was at having free rein to make Lucy's party a legend.

Angela had decided on an Indiana Jones theme months ago, knowing that Lucy was not a girly-girl, and that more than anything she wanted to go on a dig. Angela figured that most of the children would at least be familiar with the Harrison Ford character, and would understand the theme. She had originally planned on using a park and burying toys and prizes for the children in the sand so that they could have their own archaeological adventure, but Hodgins' enthusiasm and resources had allowed her to become much more elaborate.

Hodgins had trucked in a large amount of sand, gone with Angela to pick out the prizes for the kids as well as giving her money for materials to make a backdrop for photos and some simple costumes for the children attending. Using connections at the Jeffersonian they made arrangements to get a cast of several small dinosaur skeletons and Hodgins had contributed coins from around the world. They weren't worth much financially, but as he had always wanted to go digging for buried treasure, he thought other kids would like it too. The smile on Angela's face when he had poured the silver and gold plated coins into her lap had made him so ridiculously happy that he decided it was a shame that Lucy's birthday only came once a year.

The schemers had borrowed all sorts of digging equipment and supplies from the Jeffersonian. Hodgins had carried everything heavy, sparing Angela's recovering wrists. He had rented a screen and a projector, so that the children could watch the films at some point during the party, if they got tired of excavating. He had also sprung for a caterer, and though Angela had picked a kid-friendly menu, he himself had picked out the cake from a specialty baker in the area. It was a chocolate cake, decorated to look like the boulder from the movie, with figurines of Lucy and Jones running from it. He had also ordered mini chocolate lava cakes to complete the treats.

Armed with enough fun to last weeks and not just one afternoon, the three team members had spent most of the morning setting up supplies and burying their treasures. Angela had talked to Dr. Goodman about how to accurately set up grids and make the dig look as authentic as possible. With Hodgins' help, they had expertly followed Goodman's instructions. Lucy and Brennan had arrived just after the caterers and Lucy had been absolutely giddy with excitement. Brennan had also been impressed with the scale of the party. When Brennan had observed that Angela must have spent a fortune, Angela had merely shrugged and told her not to worry about it. That the party had been covered and that Brennan should just relax and enjoy the day. For once, Brennan took Angela's advice.

At one o'clock the rest of the guests began to arrive. First was Booth, led by an energetic Parker. Dr. Goodman had come with his twin daughters and his wife, followed by the majority of Lucy's classmates and their parents. Cam had flown down, and arrived late as her flight had been delayed. She had been surprised to get the invitation, but Angela had insisted that the doctor had helped save Lucy's life and that she was more than welcome to join them. On a whim, Cam had come back to DC and despite the fact that being around so many children brought back her own painful memories, she had a nice time.

Other Jeffersonian employees had also been invited to the party, as every employee worth their salt had met Lucy. The elderly but spry tour guide, Eleanor, had also come and had enthusiastically gotten her hands dirty in the sand while telling a story about a dig that she had attended almost sixty years ago as a young archaeology student.

The last arrival was Skylar, looking shy accompanied by Steven and Sharon, who looked nervous. Lucy had marched right over to them, shaking the adults' hands while hugging Skylar tightly and then dragging the girl away and introducing her to everyone as the bravest girl in Virginia. Booth had then come over and shaken hands with the adults and smoothed away the awkwardness that had resulted from the arrest of Linda and the ensuing events. Caroline marched over to Booth and questioned the intelligence of inviting the Wells family, but it had been Lucy's insistence that she see her new friend. Caroline then just shook her head and wandered over to the dessert table.

The children had loved the dig. Angela had outdone herself with the prizes, dinosaur bones and treasure hunting. Between Goodman and Brennan, the children couldn't help being taught some scientific techniques while still having fun. The movies had played in the background, entertaining some of the adults as the rest watched their children play. Angela took lots of photographs and kept everything running smoothly.

Booth helped Parker and Goodman's twins who were younger than all of the other guests. At one point he and Brennan had knelt next to each other and helped Parker pull out the toy that he had been digging for. When Parker had finally gotten his prize, he was so excited that he flung himself into Brennan's arms, thanking "Dr. Bones." She had returned the hug awkwardly, but the look on her face made Booth's heart skip a beat. It took every impulse that he had not to swoop in and kiss her after Parker had released the scientist and run off to show Lucy his new toy.

Eventually, everyone's attention was focused on Lucy as she cut into her enormous cake. They sang to her and she thanked everyone for coming and for making her belated birthday so special. Angela had then helped Lucy serve everyone cake and over time the party began to wind down. Most of Lucy's classmates drifted home, jealous that once again, she had the best birthday party of the year. The Wells family had shaken hands with the team grateful for their role in returning Skylar unharmed to her family. Skylar and Lucy made plans to see each other again soon, declaring each other BFFs, earning a very confused glance from Brennan.

Zack was attempting to flirt with Naomi from Paleontology who had provided the casts of the dinosaur bones and helped interested parties identify and assemble pieces. Cam was telling Dr. Goodman to let her know if he ever had an opening for a forensic pathologist, as she had been very impressed by the facilities and the skills and enthusiasm of the team. Angela and Hodgins had taken a seat on the now abandoned sand and were quietly talking about an unknown topic.

Brennan had turned to the large screen and was watching an action scene from one of the movies, oddly intrigued by plot and appalled by the inaccuracies of it. Booth watched her watching the movie, while hovering over an exhausted and slightly cranky Parker. He jumped when Lucy tapped him on the shoulder, he had been so distracted. Wryly he wondered what happened to his sniper skills.

"Hey FBI guy. This was like the best day, ever! But I think this shindig is winding down. Want to come back to our place and order dinner, maybe watch a movie? I don't want the party to be over, but I think that Aunt Angela and Hodgins might want some alone time." She nodded in their direction and Booth followed the glance. They did look awfully cosy, and he was stabbed by a sharp prick of jealousy.

"Sure thing, Squirt. I don't know how much fun Parker is going to be, he is pretty wiped out. But I'll talk to your mom and we can get out of here. This was a pretty kick ass party, though, everyone had a great time." He grinned at her, knowing that she too looked back on their first meeting with fondness. Had he really only known her for a month? It seemed like an eternity since the Brennans had become a part of his life. Sometimes, he had problems remembering a life before them. Lucy was tugging at his arm, pulling him down until she could whisper in his ear.

"You do realize that you just said ass to a ten year old?" He chuckled, ruffled her hair, and made his way towards Brennan while Lucy sprawled on the ground next to a napping Parker, smiling at the blue sky.

Four and a half hours later, Booth awoke to a blue screen on the television, cold pizza scraps sitting on the coffee table. Parker's sleeping head rested on his father's lap. Brennan was sitting next to Booth with Lucy's head resting on her lap, also asleep. Booth blinked as his eyes adjusted to the light from the television screen. He noticed that Brennan was awake but staring at the blank screen.

"You could have kicked us out, Bones." She jumped slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Don't worry about it, Booth. You were comfortable, and you weren't disturbing us."

"So any reason why you are just sitting here, staring at a blank screen? Are you having trouble sleeping again. I can tell you another bedtime story."

"No, I've been sleeping better. Thank you for your concern. I've just been sitting here, thinking." She stroked the hair off of Lucy's face, looking down at her daughter.

"Color me surprised." He had expected a response of "I don't know what that means," but instead she took a deep breath and spoke.

"I just don't know how to thank you, for everything. For being my partner, for not giving up, for being so wonderful to Lucy." She kept staring at her daughter, but his heart swelled at her statement.

"You're welcome." She finally made eye contact with him and she was momentarily struck speechless by the expression on his face. She swallowed before continuing.

"I like to think that I am independent, but I needed someone and you were there. Aside from Angela, I've never had a friend like you." She had more to say, but she couldn't form any more words at that moment. He understood and nodded at her.

"That's what partners are for, Bones." She smiled at him, and his heart pounded in his chest. He didn't know it, but her heart matched his, beat for beat. He leaned forward and rested his forehead against hers for a moment before gently kissing her hairline. He looked towards her lips and slowly pushed forward, until he felt her tense slightly. He wanted to kiss her, badly, but she wasn't ready yet. He could be patient, he would be patient. He reminded himself that they had only known each other for a month. What was a month of waiting when you had your entire future ahead of you? When you had thirty or forty or fifty years to look forward to.

She relaxed when he pulled back, focusing his energy on the children curled in their laps. She was silent as she too focused her own energy on the sleeping children as well. But she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. He understood her, in a way that few people in her life ever could. She could count them on one hand, in fact. It was overwhelming, but it was nice, to be sitting next to him and knowing that he was there. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed in contentment. He was glad that her eyes had closed, he was grinning like an idiot, despite the rejection of a moment ago. She didn't need to see that, not yet.

Brennan and Booth continued to stroke the hair of their respective children as the four of them rested on the couch. Booth was still taking in the scene, his heart full, when his phone vibrated. Groaning, he reached into his pocket, trying to answer it before the noise woke Parker and Lucy. He gently made his way off the couch trying not to disturb Parker too much.

"Booth." Booth listened to the voice on the other line for a few minutes and then said, "Sure, I'll ask. Hey, Bones. The FBI got a call, there's a body, well part of one anyway. Wanna go out in the field?" He tried to keep his tone upbeat, but it was slightly hesitant. Was it too soon? He needn't have worried as her response was instantaneous.

"I'll call Angela, she'll watch the children." Her voice was nothing but confident. He told the operator that they would be at the scene as soon as possible and jotted down the location. He hung up his phone as Brennan finished her own hasty call with Angela.

"Angela and Hodgins are on their way. Let me get my kit ready."

"You keep one here?" He looked at her in surprise as she eased Lucy off of her lap. Brennan stood up, covering Parker with a blanket and placing a pillow under Lucy's head. She then turned her focus to her partner.

"Yes, why wouldn't I? You never know when we might need it." The use of the word "we" was unnoticed by Brennan, but Booth, ever observant, did not miss it. He followed behind her as she made her way to the front closet, his palm warm against the small of her back.

"Nope, Bones, you never know."

On the couch, Lucy snuggled more deeply into the pillow and smiled.

The End

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Here it is, a little sneak peak at the sequel. Thanks again for all of your love. Enjoy.

The Man in Black

Prologue: The Man Comes Around

Summer 2002

Six year old Lucy Brennan was frustrated. She had spent the past twenty minutes playing this carnival game and she was doing poorly. It was a simple game, aim the squirt gun at the target, and whoever got the most water in the clown's mouth the fastest would win a prize. She had played three games and come in dead last three times. Despite her few years of life, failure was not something she was used to. Her mother or her Aunt Angela were always around to help her succeed. But her mother wasn't here. Her mother was in Africa for the entire month, the longest amount of time that they had ever been separated. Her mother always took trips in the summer, first working on her degrees and now helping people. She was too young to realize that her mother was dealing with mass murder victims, or was putting her own life in peril to give justice and faces to victims. All that Lucy knew was that she missed her mother.

Lucy spun on her stool and faced Angela who had been standing behind her and giving the man who worked the booth a dollar every few minutes. "Aunt Angela? How much longer until Mommy comes home?"

"Two more weeks, Sweetie. Not even. Eleven days, and we get to pick her up at the airport."

"Eleven whole days? But I miss her, now. I want her to come home."

"Tomorrow is Sunday, you know that you will get a phone call from her. And in eleven days she will have awesome souvenirs for you. Remember the bracelets she brought us, or that doll from her last trip?"

"I know, I just miss her. Africa is really far away."

"It is, come on, Sweetie. Cheer up. They are starting a new round. I've got a good feeling about this try." Angela handed the barker another dollar.

As the worker made a last call for entry into this round, an older man took the last available stool, which happened to be one next to Lucy and brandished his own dollar. He glanced at the girl and nodded at her. "Hey, kid." Suddenly shy, Lucy turned away and focused on the game. Music chimed and lights blinked and the race was on. Lucy finished a respectable third to last, but the man next to her had beat everyone, in what seemed like record time. The kid manning the booth handed him a key chain, first congratulating the man and then telling him if he won three in a row, he could have any one of the toys hanging from the top of the booth. The man pulled out two more dollars and then started up a conversation with the girl as the barker started calling for more game players.

"Next round's on me, OK kid?"

Lucy looked nervously and Aunt Angela and then whispered, "I'm not supposed to talk to strangers."

The man chuckled, "You are right." He glanced at the two companions. "Sorry, its just I have a granddaughter about your age, I don't get to see her much. You just reminded me of her." He made an apologetic face at Angela. She nodded to Lucy, it was going to be all right. The man was nice.

She patted his arm. "I'm sorry you don't get to see your granddaughter much. It must be hard." Further conversation was stopped by the game starting again. Once again the man won easily. Lucy had come in several slots behind him, improving slightly, but still she was disappointed that she had not come close to winning.

Lucy glanced at the man. "Wow, you are really good at this game."

"I can give you some pointers, if that's all right?" Lucy once again glanced towards her aunt.

"It's OK, Luce. I'm right here." The man left his stool and came a little closer to the girl. He showed her how to aim the gun with more accuracy and a trick to hold the trigger so that she could keep the pressure constant. She looked at him with amazement.

"Thanks. I'm going to beat you this time. Aunt Angela, can I have a dollar please?"

"Don't worry about it kid. I've got it." He once again reached into his wallet and pulled out two singles.

The game started one last time and Lucy used her new techniques effectively. She was close to the top, she passed one person ahead of her. She was doing so well, and then it was over. The man to her right had won for the third time. Lucy pouted.

"I was so close."

"You did a great job, kid. You'll get the next one." He smiled at her and waited for the barker to come over and give him his prize. The man whispered to the worker and pointed secretly at which toy he wanted. Two seconds later the barker was unhooking a stuffed dolphin from the chain it had been hanging on. The kid handed it to the man, who quickly handed it to Lucy.

"Here you go, kid. You deserve it." Lucy's eyes grew wide in disbelief. She hugged the body to her chest.

"Really? It's for me?"

"Sure, kid. Do you like it? I'm sure you could get a different one if you wanted it."

"No, its perfect. Dolphins are my favorite! How did you know?" The man looked sad for a moment and then smiled widely.

"My wife and my daughter both loved dolphins. I told you that you reminded me of my granddaughter. I thought that she would like dolphins too."

"Thank you, mister. How come you don't get to see your granddaughter?"

Angela placed gently pressure on Lucy's shoulder. Bluntness was a Brennan trait. Angela turned to the man. "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. Lucy hasn't mastered the art of tact yet." The man chuckled.

"No problem. I had to go away when my daughter was young. I thought that I was doing the right thing, but because of that I don't get to see my daughter or my granddaughter."

"I'm sorry, Mister. It's too bad that you don't get to see them. You are really nice. Isn't he nice Aunt Angela?" Angela nodded and then thanked the man for his kindness as Lucy once again squeezed the dolphin and then kissed it on the top of its head, right where the blowhole would be on a real dolphin.

"No problem, kid. You ladies have a nice day." He got off of his stool and began to walk away, he paused when he heard a small voice behind him.

"Hey Mister, what should I call him? He's your dolphin, you should name him." The man knelt down to her eye level and ruffled her hair once.

"Call him Max."


End file.
